mm 

iversity  of  California. 

FROM    THE    URHARY   < >F 

DR.    FRANCIS     L  I  E  B  E  R , 
Professor  of  History  and  Law  in  Columbia  College,  Is  ow  York. 


THK   GIFT   OF 

MICHAEL     REES 

Of  San  Francisco, 
1373. 


* 


l£^J 


-- 


CONSTRUCTION,  COST,  AND  CAPACITY 


CEOTON    AQUEDUCT, 

COMPILED    FROM    OFFICIAL    DOCUMENTS: 


TOGETHER  WITH  AN  ACCOUNT  OF  THE 


CIVIC      CELEBRATION 

OF    THE    FOURTEENTH    OCTOBER,    1842, 
ON  OCCASION  OF  THE  COMPLETION  OF  THE  GREAT  WORK : 


PRECEDED    BY    A 


PRELIMINARY     ESSAY 


ANCIENT     AND     MODERN     A  Q,  U  E  D  U  C  T  S  . 


BY     CHARLES    KING. 


NEW-YORK: 
PRINTED    BY     CHARLES    KING 

1843. 


Entered  according  to  an  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1843,  by 

CHARLES    KING, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


TO 

THE  PEOPLE  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW- YORK, 

WHO  BY  THEIR  DELIBERATE  VOTE, 

INVITED  AND  CONSENTED  TO  THE  TAXATION  BY  WHICH  THE 
VAST  EXPENSE  OF  CONSTRUCTING  THE 

CROTON   AaUEDUCT 

WAS  DEFRAYED  ; 

AND  TO 

THE  SUCCESSIVE  COMMON  COUNCILS, 

WHO  HAVE  DILIGENTLY,  INTELLIGENTLY,  AND  PERSEVERINGLY 

CARRIED  OUT  THIS  VOTE 
TO  A  SUCCESSFUL  AND  MAGNIFICENT  ISSUE, 

THIS     VOLUME, 

RECORDING    THE    PROGRESS    AND    ACCOMPLISHMENT 
OF  AN  ENTERPRISE,  ALIKE  GRAND  IN  DESIGN 

AND  BENEFICENT  IN  RESULTS, 
IS  INSCRIBED  BY  THEIR  FELLOW  CITIZEN, 

CHARLES    KING. 


PREFACE 


IN  LAYING  this  volume  before  the  Common  Council  and  the  public,  it  may  be 
proper  to  state  the  circumstances  under  which  it  was  undertaken. 

In  October  last,  after  the  Celebration  which  commemorated  the  completion  of  the 
CROTON  AQUEDUCT,  the  joint  Committee  of  the  Common  Council,  constituting  the 
Celebration  Committee,  determined  that  a  Memoir  of  this  great  and  successful  en- 
terprise should  be  prepared,  and  by  a  unanimous  vote  confided  the  duty  to  the  au- 
thor of  the  following  pages. 

It  was  accepted  with  satisfaction,  enabling  him  as  it  would,  in  recording  the 
progress  and  completion  of  this  noble  and  useful  work,  exceeding  in  grandeur  and 
costliness  any  ever  executed  by  a  comparatively  small  community,  to  claim  for  the 
city  of  his  birth  and  his  affections,  credit  for  that  far-seeing  and  disinterested  public 
spirit  which,  looking  beyond  the  present,  is  content  to  endure  and  labor  for  remotest 
generations. 

In  effect,  water  might  have  been  obtained  adequate  to  the  actual  wants  of  the 
city  at  very  much  less  cost,  leaving  to  posterity  the  care  of  providing  for  its  own 
need ;  but  the  more  generous  view  prevailed,  and,  in  deciding  as  the  people  of  New 
York  by  their  votes  did,  to  construct  an  Aqueduct  like  those  which,  in  attesting  the 
grandeur  of  ancient  Rome,  still  pour  rivers  into  the  streets  of  the  fallen  city, — 

"  LONE  MOTHER  OF  DEAD  EMPIRES  !" 


vi  PREFACE. 

they   furnished   an   admirable  illustration   of  the  public   spirit  and  wise  forecast  of 
freemen. 

In  prosecuting  the  investigations  necessary  for  this  work — which,  after  all,  is 
much  in  the  nature  of  a  compilation — such  time  only  could  be  devoted  to  it,  as 
might  be  snatched  from  the  engrossing  and  Sysiphean  labors  of  a  daily  newspaper. 

Nevertheless,  it  is  hoped  that  in  the  Preliminary  Essay,  in  which  a  cursory  ex- 
amination and  description  is  attempted  of  the  chief  ancient  and  modern  aqueducts, 
as  well  as  of  the  devices  for  supplying  themselves  with  water  in  use  among  the 
earliest  peoples — nothing  material  to  the  information  of  the  general  reader  is  omitted. 

The  Memoir  of  the  Croton  Aqueduct  is  compiled  from  official  reports  and  doc- 
uments, as  for  the  most  part  is  the  sketch  of  the  numerous  attempts  which,  from  an 
early  day,  were  made  by  the  citizens  of  New  York,  to  insure  a  supply  of  pure  and 
wholesome  water. 

In  preparing  the  Preliminary  Essay,  it  was  necessary  to  look  into  many  books, 
and  their  pages,  when  suited  to  the  design  in  hand,  have  been  freely  availed  of. 

Frontinus  is  the  great  authority  as  to  the  Roman  Aqueducts,  and  his  treatise  is 
nearly  embodied  entire  in  these  pages. 

Professor  Charles  Anthon's  Dictionary  of  Antiquities,  Stuart's  Dictionary  of 
Architecture,  Hydraulia,  a  work  published  in  London,  by  C.  Matthews,  in  1834,  de- 
scriptive of  water  works  in  Great  Britain,  and  the  exceedingly  clever  book  on  Hy- 
draulics and  Mechanics,  published  in  our  city  last  year,  by  THOMAS  EWBANK,  have 
furnished  or  indicated  much  of  the  material  used  in  the  Essay.  To  Ewbank's  book 
particular  obligation  is  acknowledged,  alike  for  what  is  to  be  found  in  its  pages,  and 
for  references  they  afford  to  other  sources  of  information. 

Many  other  miscellaneous  works  have  been  consulted  —  which  are  occasionally 
indicated  in  the  marginal  notes. 


PREFACE.  yji 

To  Mr.  David  T.  Valentine,  the  Assistant  Clerk  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen, 
the  writer  is  greatly  indebted  for  the  means  of  compiling  the  Memoir.  His  long  and 
faithful  service  in  the  office  he  holds — his  remarkable  familiarity  with  all  that  has 
been  done  by  the  corporation  in  relation  to  the  water  works,  and  indeed  with  all  the 
other  business,  multifarious  as  it  is,  of  that  body — the  methodical  arrangements  of  his 
office,  which  enabled  him  at  once  to  put  his  hand  on  any  paper  or  document  in- 
quired for — combined  with  the  most  courteous  and  obliging  disposition,  have  aided 
unspeakably  in  this  compilation,  and  saved  many  a  weary  hour  of  fruitless  research. 

A  few  words  as  to  the  style  in  which  the  volume  is  published: 

It  was  the  earnest  wish  and  desire  of  the  Author,  that  a  book,  commemorating 
so  magnificent  an  enterprise  should  be  sent  forth  with  some  luxury  of  typography, 
and  especially  with  the  illustration  of  numerous  engravings,  and  he  earnestly 
pressed  this  view  on  the  Committee.  But  considerations  of  economy  seemed  to 
them  to  forbid  any  unavoidable  expense,  and  he  was  therefore  reluctantly  compelled 
to  publish  an  unadorned  volume. 

Such  as  it  is,  it  is  submitted  to  those  at  whose  bidding,  and  through  whose 
gratifying  confidence,  it  was  undertaken,  Messrs.  HENRY  E.  DAVIES,  EDWARD  D. 
WEST,  CLARKSON  CROLIUS,  JR.,  FREDERICK  R.  LEE,  and  CHARLES  W.  SMITH,  of 
the  Board  of  Aldermen,  and  GEORGE  F.  NESBITT,  WILLIAM  DODGE,  RICHARD  H. 
ATWELL,  DANIEL  WARD,  and  CHARLES  J.  DODGE,  of  the  Board  of  Assistant 
Aldermen,  and  through  them  to  the  Common  Council  and  the  city,  with  the  regards 
of  their  obliged  friend  and  servant, 

THE    AUTHOR. 


ROBERT   H.   MORRIS, 

MAYOR. 


MEMBERS    OP    THE    COMMON   COUNCIL. 


ALDERMEN. 

First  Ward. 

CALYIN  BALIS. 

Second  Ward. 

CALEB  S.  WOODHULL. 

Third  Ward. 

JOHN  A.  UNDERWOOD. 

Fourth  Ward. 

ROBERT  MARTIN. 

Fifth  Ward. 

ROBERT  JONES. 

Sixth  Ward. 

CLARKSON  CROLIUS,  JR. 

Seventh   Ward. 

CHARLES  W.  SMITH. 

Eighth  Ward. 

SYLYANUS  GEDNEY. 

Ninth  Ward. 

MOSES  G.  LEONARD. 

Tenth  Ward. 

ELIJAH  F.  PURDY. 

Eleventh   Ward. 

ABRAHAM  HATFIELD. 

Twelfth  Ward. 

RICHARD  F.  CARMAN. 

Thirteenth   Ward. 

HEZEKIAH  W.  BONNEL. 

Fourteenth  Ward. 

JOHN  STEWART. 

Fifteenth  Ward. 

HENRY  E.  DAYIES. 

Sixteenth   Ward. 

EDWARD  D.  WEST. 

Seventeenth  Ward. 

FREDERICK  R.  LEE. 


ASSISTANT     ALDERMEN. 
First   Ward. 

HARMON  C.  WESTERYELT. 

Second  Ward. 

GEORGE  F.  NESBITT. 

Third  Ward. 

WILLIAM  DODGE. 

Fourth  Ward. 

DAYID  T.  WILLIAMS. 

Fifth  Ward. 

WILLIAM  ADAMS. 

Sixth  Ward. 

RICHARD  H.  ATWELL. 

Seventh  Ward. 

JAMES  NASH. 

Eighth   Ward. 

CHARLES  P.  BROYYN. 

Ninth  Ward. 

WILLIAM  D.  WATERMAN. 

Tenth  Ward. 

DANIEL  WARD. 

Eleventh   Ward. 

CHARLES  J.  DODGE. 

Tu-ilfth  Ward. 

GEORGE  W.  ALLERTON. 

Thirteenth  Ward. 

PETER  ESQUIROL. 

Fourteenth  Ward. 

JOHN  B.  SCOLES. 

Fifteenth  Ward. 

WILLIAM  Y.  BRADY. 

-  Sixteenth  Ward. 

WALTER  MEAD. 

Seventeenth  Ward. 

JOHN  PETTIGREW. 


PRELIMINARY     ESSAY 


WATER,  as  one  of  the  elements  alike  of  animal  and  vegetable  life,  has  always  been 
an  object  of  man's  attention.  In  the  early  ages,  indeed,  it  was  reverenced  as  the  sub- 
stance of  which  all  things  were  supposed  to  be  made,  and  the  vivifying  principle  that 
animated  the  whole ;  hence  rivers,  fountains,  and  wells  were  worshipped,  and  religious 
feasts  and  ceremonies  instituted  in  honor  of  them,  and  of  the  spirits  which  were  be- 
lieved to  preside  over  them. 

This  custom  is  not  extinct  among  Pagan  nations  ;  for  the  "  Sacred  Ganges"  yet 
receives  the  worship  of  millions  of  Hindoos,  and  the  "  Holy  Well"  in  Benares  is  visited 
by  devotees  from  all  parts  of  India,  with  offerings  of  rice,  &c. 

Nor  have  Christian  nations  escaped  this  form  of  idolatry.  In  Europe  the  worship 
of  wells  was  at  one  time  universal ;  and  even  so  late  as  the  seventeenth  century,  ac- 
cording to  Ewbank.  people  in  Scotland  were  in  the  habit  of  visiting  wells,  at  which 
they  performed  numerous  acts  of  superstition.  Shaw,  in  his  History  of  the  Province  of 
Moray  says,  "  that  heathen  customs  were  much  practised  among  the  people,  such  as 
pilgrimages  to  wells,  and  building  chapels  to  fountains.  At  the  present  time,  in  some 
parts  of  England,  remains  of  well-worship  are  preserved  in  the  custom  of  performing 
annual  processions  to  themr  decorating  them  with  wreaths  and  chaplets  of  flowers, 
singing  hymns,  and  reading  a  portion  of  the  Gospel  as  part  of  the  ceremonies," 

These  same  customs  gave  rise  to  the  numerous  holy  wells  which  formerly  abounded 
throughout  the  old  world,  and  the  memory  of  many  of  which  is  still  preserved  in  names 
of  towns. 

In  the  church  of  Nanterre,  near  Paris,  the  birth-place  of  St.  Genevieve,  is  a  well,  by 
the  water  of  which  this  patroness  of  the  Parisians  miraculously  restored  her  blind 
mother,  and  many  others  to  sight !  St.  Winifred's  Well,  in  Flintshire,  England,  from  its, 
1 


2  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

sacred  character,  gave  name  to  the  town  of  Holywell.  Mr.  Pennant  says,  the  custom 
of  visiting  this  well  in  pilgrimage,  and  offering  up  devotions  there,  was  not  in  his  time 
entirely  lai'd  aside ;  "  in  the  summer,  a  few  are  to  be  seen  in  deep  devotion,  up  to  their 
chins  for  hours,  sending  up  their  prayers,  or  performing  a  number  of  evolutions  round 
the  polygonal  well." 

In  all  ages  and  countries,  from  the  most  remote  periods,  a  supply  of  the  indispen- 
sable article — water — has  been  an  object  of  solicitude,  and  various  were  the  means  by 
which  it  was  obtained  and  diffused.  In  Asia,  the  original  home  of  the  human  race, 
where  rain  seldom  falls,  and  rivers  and  running  streams  are  rare,  wells  were  early 
devised.  The  antiquity,  indeed,  of  this  mode  of  obtaining  and  collecting  water,  goes 
beyond  the  records  of  history,  sacred  and  profane ;  and  hence  we  have  no  clue  to  the 
circumstances  which  led  man  to  penetrate  the  earth  in  search  of  this  element. 

From  very  ancient  wells  which  still  remain,  it  is  certain  that  long  time  anterior 
to  the  commencement  of  history,  the  knowledge  of  procuring  water  by  means  of  them 
was  well  understood.  On  this  supposition  only  can  we  account  for  many  of  them  being 
perforated  through  rocks,  some  of  the  oldest  wells  known,  being  dug  entirely  through 
that  material  and  to  a  prodigious  depth.* 

"  The  Jews,"  as  is  justly  remarked  by  the  Abbe  Pleury,  in  his  '  Manners  of  the 
Ancient  Israelites,'  "  owing  to  their  numerous  herds  of  cattle,  set  a  very  high  value  upon 
their  wells  and  cisterns,  more  especially  as  they  occupied  a  country  where  there  was  no 
river  but  Jordan,  and  where  rain  seldom  fell."  It  is  to  the  East  we  are  indebted  for  the 
only  known  method  of  sinking  wells  of  depth,  through  quicksands  and  loose  soil,  by 
first  constructing  a  curb,  which. settles  as  the  excavation  is  deepened,  and  thereby  resists 
the  pressure  of  the  surrounding  soil. 

The  readers  of  the  Bible  will  not  need  to  be  told  of  the  well  at  which  Hagar  rested, 
when  she  fled  from  the  ill  treatment  of  Sarah,  nor  of  the  meeting  of  Rebecca,  at  the  well 
of  Nahor,  with  Abraham's  servant,  whom  he  had  sent  to  procure  a  wife  for  his  son  Isaac, 
nor  of  Jacob's  well,  at  which  our  Saviour  met  the  woman  of  Samaria. 

Numerous  wells  of  great  antiquity  are  still  to  be  seen  in  Egypt,  and  among  the 
ruins  of  Ninevah,  a  city  of  which  the  foundation  was  laid  by  Ashur,  the  son  of  an 
antediluvian,  is  a  remarkable  well  which  supplies  the  peasants  with  water,  to  which  they 
ascribe  many  virtues.! 

It  was  a  common  practice  in  those  Eastern  countries,  to, erect  stations  and  place 
guards  for  the  protection  of  wells  against  robbers,  who,  knowing  that  travellers  would  of 

*  Ewbank,  p.  25. 

t  Capt.  Rich's  narrative  of  a  residence  at  Koordistan,  and  on  the  site  of  ancient  Nineveh. 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY.  3 

necessity  resort  there,  made  them  objects  of  attack ;  it  is  from  this  circumstance  the  old 
traveller,  Sandys,  speaks  of  them  as  "  wells  of  fear." 

The  ancient  Egyptians,  resident  beyond  the  reach  of  the  inundations  of  the  Nile, 
irrigated  their  land  from  wells,  as  do  the  Chinese  to  this  day. 

It  was  in  digging  a  well  in  1711,  that  the  long  buried  ruins  of  Herculaneum  were 
discovered,  by  the  accidental  striking  upon  some  pieces  of  marble  and  statues,  which 
subsequently  proved  to  be  part  of  a  temple,  situated  in  the  midst  of  Herculaneum,  buried 
by  an  eruption  of  Vesuvius,  1630  years  before ;  and  it  is  a  fact  interesting  in  itself  and 
not  foreign  to  our  subject,  to  add,  that  among  the  remarkable  discoveries  of  this  long  buried 
city,  was  a  well  in  a  high  state  of  preservation,  which,  having  been  protected  by  a  covering 
and  surmounted  with  a  curb,  had  been  kept  free  from  the  lava  and  ashes.  It  still  con- 
tains excellent  water,  and  is  in  the  same  condition  as  when  the  last  females  retired  from  it, 
bearing  vases  of  its  water  to  their  dwellings,  from  which  they  were  never  to  emerge  again. 

The  most  remarkable  well,  probably,  ever  made  by  man,  is  Joseph's  well  at  Cairo, 
of  which  we  copy  from  Ewbank  this  brief  arid  clear  description : 

"  This  well,  which  for  magnitude  and  the  skill  displayed  in  its  construction,  has 
never  been  surpassed,  is  an  oblong  square,  24  feet  by  18,  being  sufficiently  capacious  to 
admit  within  its  mouth  a  moderate  sized  house.  It  is  excavated  of  these  dimensions 
through  solid  rock  to  the  depth  of  165  feet,  where  it  is  enlarged  into  a  capacious  chamber, 
in  the  bottom  of  which  is  formed  a  basin,  or  reservoir,  to  receive  the  water  raised  from 
below,  for  this  chamber  is  not  the  bottom  of  the  well.  On  one  side  of  the  reservoir, 
another  shaft  is  continued  130  feet  lower,  where  it  emerges  through  the  rock  into  a  bed  of 
gravel,  in  which  the  water  is  found,  the  whole  depth  being  297  feet.  The  lower  shaft  is 
not  in  the  same  vertical  line  as  the  upper  one,  nor  is  it  so  large,  being  15  feet  by  9.  As 
the  water  is  first  raised  into  the  basin  by  means  of  machinery,  propelled  by  horses  or 
oxen  within  the  chamber,  it  may  be  asked  how  are  these  animals  conveyed  to  that  depth, 
in  this  tremendous  pit,  and  by  what  means  do  they  ascend  1  It  is  the  solution  of  this 
problem  that  renders  Joseph's  well  so  peculiarly  interesting^  and  which  indicates  such  an 
advanced  state  of  the  arts  at  the  period  of  its  construction. 

"  A  spiral  passage  way  is  cut  through  the  rock,  from  the  surface  of  the  ground  to 
the  chamber,  independent  of  the  well,  round  which  it  winds  with  so  gentle  a  descent, 
that  persons  sometimes  ride  up  or  down  upon  asses  or  mules.  It  is  six  feet  four  inches 
wide,  and  seven  feet  two  inches  high.  Between  it  and  the  interior  of  the  well,  a  wall 
of  rock  is  left,  to  prevent  persons  falling,  or  even  looking  down  into  it  except  through 
certain  openings,  or  windows,  by  means  of  which  it  is  faintly  lighted  from  the  interior 
of  the  well ;  by  this  passage  the  animals  descend  which  drive  the  machinery  that  raises 
the  water  from  the  lower  shaft  into  the  reservoir,  or  basin,  from  which  it  is  again  raised 
by  similar  machinery  and  other  animals  on  the  surface.  In  the  lower  shaft  a  path  is  also 
cut  down  to  the  water,  but  as  no  partition  is  left  between  it  and  the  well,  it  is  extremely 
perilous  for  strangers  to  descend.  The  water  is  raised  in  earthenware  pots  attached  to 
endless  chains  or  ropes,  that  as  they  pass  over  the  wheel  at  the  top,  empty  their  contents 
into  a  trough  and  descend  in  a  reversed  position. 

"  This  celebrated  well  resembles  an  enormous  hollow  screw,  the  centre  of  which 


4  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

forms  the  well,  and  the  threads  a  winding  stair-case  round  it.  To  erect  of  granite  a  flight 
of  "geometrical"  or  "•  well-stairs,"  two  or  three  hundred  feet  high,  on  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  would  require  extraordinary  skillr  although  in  the  execution  every  aid  from 
rules,  measures,,  and  the  light  of  day,  would  guide  the  workmen  at  every  step ;  but  to' 
begin  such  a  work  at  the  top  and  construct  it  downward,  by  excavation  alone,  in  the 
dark  bowels  of  the  earth,,  is  a  more  arduous  undertaking,  especially  as  deviations  from 
the  correct  lines  could  not  be  corrected.  Yet  in  Joseph's  well,  the  partition  of  rock  be- 
tween the  pit  and  the  passage  way,  and  the  uniform  inclination  of  the  latter,  seem  to  have 
been  ascertained  with  equal  precision  as  if  the  whole  had  been  constructed  of  cut  stone 
on  the  surface.  Was  the  pit  or  the  passage  formed  first,  or  were  they  simultaneously 
carried  on,  and  the  excavated  masses  from  both  borne  up  the  latter  1  The  extreme  thin- 
ness of  the  partition  justly  excited  the  astonishment  of  M.  Jomard,  whose  account  of 
the  well  is  inserted  in  the  2d  volume  of  Memoirs  of  Napoleon's  great  work  on  Egypt.  It 
is,  according  to  M.  Jomard,  but  sixteen  centimetres,,  or  about  six  inches,  thick  !  It  must 
have  required  singular  care  to,  leave  and  preserve  so  small  a  portion,  while  excavating 
the  rock  from  both  sides  of  it.  It  would  seem  no  stronger,  in  proportion,  than  sheets  of 
pasteboard  placed  on  edge,  to  support  one  end  of  the  stairs  of  a  modern  built  house,  for  it 
must  be  borne  in  mind,  that  the  massive  roof  of  the  spiral  passage  next  the  well,  has 
nothing  but  this  film  of  rock  to  support  it,  or  to  prevent  such  portions  from  falling  as  are 
loosened  by  fissures,,  or  such  as  from  changes  in  the  direction  of  the  strata,  are  not  firmly 
united  to  the  general  mass.  But  this  is  not  all ;  thin  and  insufficient  as  it  may  seem,  the 
bold  designer  has  pierced  it  through  its  whole  extent  with  semicircular  openings,  to 
admit  light  from  the  well. 

"  Opinions  respecting  the  date  of  this  well  are  exceedingly  various.  Pococke 
thought  it  was  built  by  a  vizier  named  Joseph,  800  years  ago ;  other  authorities  more 
generally  attribute  it  to  Saladin,  the  intrepid  defender  of  his  country  against  the  hordes 
of  savages,  who,  under  the  name  of  Crusaders,  spread  rapine  and  carnage  through  his 
land.  His  name  was  Yussef  (Joseph). 

"  By  the  common  people  of  Egypt,  it  has  long  been  ascribed  to  the  patriarch  of  that 
name,  and  then-  traditions  are  often  well  founded.  Van  Sleb,  who  visited  Egypt  several 
times  in  the  17th  century,  says  some  of  the  people  in  his  time  thought  it  Avas  digged  by 
spirits  ;  and  he  adds,  "  I  am  almost  inclined  to  believe  it,  for  I  cannot  conceive  how  man 
can  compass  so  wonderful  a  work."  Some  writers  believe  this  well  to  have  been  the 
work  of  a  more  scientific  people  than  any  of  the  comparatively  modern  possessors  of 
Egypt — in  other  words,  they  think  it  the  production  of  the  same  people  that  built  the 
Pyramids,  and  the  unrivalled  monuments  of  Thebes,  Dendarah,  and  Ebsamboul. 

"  Lastly,  Cairo  is  supposed  by  others,  to  occupy  the  site  of  Egyptian  Babylon,  and 
this  well  is  considered  by  them  as  one  of  the  remains  of  the  ancient  city.  Amidst  this 
variety  of  opinion  respecting  its  origin,  it  is  certain  that  it  is  every  way  worthy  of  the 
ancient  mechanics  of  Egypt,  and  in  its  magnitude  exhibits  one  of  the  prominent  features 
which  characterize  all  their  known  productions. 

"Why  was  this  well  made  oblong ?  Its  designer  certainly  had  his  reasons  for  it,. 
May  not  this  form  have  been  intended  to  light  more  perfectly  ihe  interior,  by  sooner  re- 
ceiving and  longer  retaining  the  rays  of  the  sun?  With  what  point  of  the  compass  its 
longest  sides  coincide,  has  not,  that  we  are  aware,  been  recorded.  Should  they  prove  to 
be  in  the  direction  of  the  rising  and  setting  sun,  the  reason  suggested  may  possibly  be- 
the  true  one." 


PRELIMINARY   ESSAY.  5 

To  complete  this  notice  of  wells,  it  may  be  added  that  in  our  own  country,  ac- 
cording to  Mr.  Flint,  ancient  wells  have  been  found.  "  From  the  highest  point  on  the 
Ohio,  to  St.  Charles  on  the  Missouri,  and  far  up  the  Upper  Mississippi  and  Missouri,  the 
more  the  country  is  explored  and  peopled,  and  the  more  its  surface  is  penetrated,  not 
only  are  there  more  mounds  brought  to  view,  but  more  incontestible  marks  of  a  nu- 
merous population.  Wells  artificially  walled,  different  structures  of  convenience  or  de- 
fence, have  been  found  in  such  numbers  as  no  longer  to  excite  curiosity." 

For  a  long  period,  the  only  mode  of  raising  water  from  wells,  was  by  letting  down 
vases  or  buckets  into  them  by  a  cord,  but  gradually  the  pulley  and  windlass  succeeded, 
and  even  irrigation  in  Eastern  countries,  upon  which  the  success  of  their  agriculture 
depends,  was  carried  on  by  water  thus  raised  from  wells,  and  borne  by  laborers  to  the 
field. 

The  excessive  labor  and  inconvenience  of  this  practice,  led  to  the  formation 
of  vast  tanks  for  the  collection  of  water,  from  which  it  might  be  conducted  in  open 
channels  to  the  points  proposed.  In  comparison  with  some  of  these  tanks,  our  largest 
reservoirs  sink  into  insignificance.  "  In  the  Carnatic,  it  is  recorded,  that  there  are 
tanks  eight  miles  in  length  and  three  in  breadth.  In  Bengal,  they  frequently  cover  one 
hundred  acres,  and  are  lined  with  stone."  Knox,  in  his  Historical  Relations  of  Ceylon, 
says  the  natives  formed  tanks  two  or  three  fathoms  deep,  some  of  which  were  in  length 
above  a  mile. 

The  next  step  in  the  use  of  water,  was  to  raise  it  above  its  level,  and  the  ma- 
chines for  this  purpose  are  of  very  ancient  date.  The  Jantu,  which  has  for  centuries 
been,  and  still  is,  used  in  Hindoostan  to  raise  water  for  the  irrigation  of  land,  is  thus 
described  by  Mr.  Ward  in  his  History  of  the  Hindoos.  "  It  consists  of  a  hollow  trough 
of  wood  about  fifteen  feet  long,  six  inches  wide  and  ten  inches  deep,  and  is  placed  on  a 
horizontal  beam  supported  on  bamboos.  One  end  of  the  trough  rests  upon  the  bank, 
whether  of  a  pond,  river  or  tank,  where  a  gutter  is  prepared  to  carry  off  the  water,  and 
the  other  is  dipped  into  the  reservoir  or  river,  by  a  man  on  a  stage  plunging  it  in  with 
his  feet.  A  long  bamboo  with  a  large  weight  of  earth  at  the  extremity,  is  fastened  to  the 
end  of  the  Jantu  next  the  river,  and  passing  over  the  gallows  before  mentioned,  poises  up 
the  Jantu  full  of  water,  and  causes  it  to  empty  itself  into  the  gutter.  This  machine 
raises  the  water  three  feet,  but  by  placing  a  series  of  these  one  above  another,  it  may 
be  raised  to  any  height,  the  water  being  plunged  into  small  reservoirs  sufficiently  deep 
to  admit  the  Jantu  above  to  be  plunged  low  enough  to  fill  it.  Water  is  thus  conveyed 
to  the  distance  of  a  mile  or  more."  A  more  efficient  machine  than  this,  and  even  more 
ancient  is  the  iSwape,  or  common  balance-pole,  which  is  employed  so  universally  in  the 
wells  of  our  own  country,  and  which  was  employed  thirty-four  centuries  ago,  by  the 


6  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

Egyptians,  as  appears  from  sculptures  dating  back  to  1532,  B.  C.,  on  which  these 
machines  are  represented,  and  more  especially  from  the  remains  of  one  recently  discovered 
by  Mr.  Wilkinson  in  an  ancient  tomb  of  Thebes.  All  nations,  ancient  and  modern, 
employed  this  machine  ;  and  the  Long  Island  and  New  Jersey  farmer  now  raises  water 
from  his  well,  by  the  same  contrivance  in  use  in  the  time  of  the  Pharoah's. 

The  Swape  is  still  in  constant  use  on  the  Nile,  particularly  in  Upper  Egypt,  where 
the  banks  are  more  elevated,  arid  in  which  consequently,  successive  basins  of  rock  or 
puddled  earth  are  made  to  receive  the  contributions  of  each  bucket.  The  average  lift 
of  the  Swape  is  seven  feet,  and  by  a  series  of  these,  one  above  the  other,  the  water 
is  finally  delivered  on  the  summit  of  the  bank,  thence  to  irrigate  the  vast  plains  beyond. 
The  chain  of  pots  is  also  seen  side  by  side  with  the  Swape,  and  is  the  more  efficient 
mechanism,  by  delivering  the  water  at  once  at  the  summit.  It  is,  moreover,  worked  by 
animal  power — and  but  that  it  is  taxed  by  the  government  double  the  sum  paid  by  the 
Swape,  would  probably  supersede  it. 

The  tympanum,  the  noria  or  Egyptain  wheel,  the  Persian  wheel,  the  chain  of 
pots,  and  the  screw,  all  improved  devices  to  raise  water,  were  of  very  ancient  use — and 
so  remained  until  the  introduction  of  the  pump. 

The  chain-pump,  which  is  in  fact  only  a  modification  of  the  chain  of  pots,  by  passing 
the  chain  through  a  tight  tube,  round  or  square,  and  for  pots  substituting  wooden  or 
metallic  pallets  or  pistons,  fitting  the  interior  of  the  tube  and  pushing  the  water  before 
them,  was  known  in  China  from  the  earliest  ages,  but  does  not  appear  to  have  been 
introduced  into  Europe  till  about  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century  ;  they  are  chiefly 
used  now  in  an  improved  form  on  board  ships  of  war. 

The  ordinary  pump,  or  sucking-pump,  as  it  ^vas  at  first  called,  though  evidently 
known  to  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  and  used  in  their  ships,  does  not  seem  to  have  been 
much  employed  by  them  for  domestic  purposes.  It  was  not  till  the  fifteenth  and 
sixteenth  century  that  pumps  became  common  and  superseded  the  more  ancient  devices 
for  raising  water — and  even  then  the  principle  upon  which  the  water  was  raised  was 
little  conceived  of.  The  old  doctrine  of  Aristotle,  that  nature  abhorred  a  vacuum,  was 
supposed  to  explain  the  whole  matter,  until  one  day  a  Florentine  pump-maker  having 
constructed  a  pump  some  60  feet  long,  was  astonished  to  find  that  he  could  not  raise 
water  in  it  more  than  32  feet.  As  the  Greek  philosopher  had^not  assigned  any  limits  to 
nature's  abhorrence  of  a  vacuum,  it  presented  quite  a  problem,  why  in  a  pump  it  was 
found  to  be  limited  to  a  height  of  32  feet.  Torricelli,  the  disciple  of  Galileo,  and  after 
him,  Pascal,  the  author  of  the  admirable  lettres  provenqales,  which  so  victoriously 
expose  the  dangerous  and  insidious  doctrines  of  the  Jesuits,  by  the  most  beautiful  and 


PRELIMINARY     ESSAY.  7 

conclusive  experiments,  overthrew  the  long  received  notion  of  nature's  abhorrence  of  a 
vacuum,  and  demonstrated  that  the  rising  of  water  in  the  chamber  of  the  pump,  was  pro- 
duced by  atmospheric  pressure. 

As  human  beings  were  aggregated  into  larger  societies,  and  the  progress  of  civiliza- 
tion and  refinement  produced  new  and  artificial  wants,  all  the  known  modes  of  obtaining 
water  from  wells,  springs,  fountains  and  rivers,  were  found  insufficient,  and  it  became  an 
object  to  devise  some  more  compendious  as  well  as  abundant  system  of  supply,  and  hence 
the  resort  to  aqueducts. 

As  nearly  all  the  ancient  aqueducts,  of  which  there  are  still  any  remains,  are  of 
Roman  construction,  it  has  been  generally  believed  that  works  of  this  description  were 
entirely  unknown  to  other  people.  This,  however,  is  an  error.  Among  the  Greeks, 
some  are  mentioned  by  Pausanias  and  others.  But  no  particular  description  of  these 
structures  has  reached  us,  and  we  are  therefore  left  to  conjecture.  As  the  use  of  the 
arch  was.  according  to  the  received  opinion,  unknown  to  the  Greeks,  as  well  as  the  law 
of  hydrostatics,  that  water  will  rise  to  its  own  level,  it  seems  difficult  to  understand 
how  they  could  pass  water  over  valleys  or  streams ;  and  the  inference  seems  reasonable, 
that  their  aqueducts,  such  as  those  built  by  Pisistratus,  at  Athens,  that  at  Megara,  and 
the  celebrated  one  of  Polycrates,  at  Samos,  mentioned  by  Herodotus,  were  rather  conduits 
than  ranges  of  buildings  like  the  Roman  aqueducts. 

But,  at  a  period  antecedent  probably  to  the  construction  of  these  Grecian  aqueducts, 
King  Solomon,  one  thousand  years  before  the  Christian  Era,  appears  by  the  accounts  of 
modern  travellers,  to  have  constructed  a  similar  work. 

In  the  Universal  History,  vol.  II,  p.  441,  we  find  the  following  statement : 
AdUEDUCT     OF    SOLOMON, 

"  The  pools  of  Solomon,  so  called,  from  his  being  commonly  allowed  to  have  caused 
them  to  be  made,  in  order  to  supply  not  only  his  palace  and  gardens,  but  as  some  think, 
even  the  city  of  Jerusalem  with  water,  appear  still  by  what  remains  of  them,  to  have 
been  a  work  of  immense  cost  and  labor,  and  worthy  of  that  great  monarch.  The  same 
we  may  say,  of  the  sealed  fountains,  which  lie  opposite  to  them,  towards  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  same  hill,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Bethlehem.  These  pools  are  three 
in  a  row,  one  over  the  other,  and  so  disposed  that  the  water  of  the  uppermost  may 
descend  into  the  second,  and  from  the  second  into  the  third.  They  are  quadrangular, 
and  of  an  equal  breadth,  viz.,  about  90  paces ;  but  in  length  they  differ,  the  first  being 
160  paces,  the  second,  100,  and  the  third,  220.  All  three  are  of  a  considerable  depth,  well 
walled  and  plastered,  and  contain  a  large  quantity  of  water.  About  120  paces  distant 
is  the  spring  which  supplies  them  with  water.  The  aqueduct  is  built  on  a  foundation  of 
stone,  and  the  water  runs  in  earthen  pipes,  about  10  inches  in  diameter,  which  are 
cased  with  two  stones  so  as  to  fit  them ;  these  are  covered  over  with  other,  but  rough 


8  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

stones,  well  cemented  together,  and  the  whole  is  so  sunk  into  the  ground  on  the  side  of 
the  hills,  that  in  many  places  nothing  is  to  be  seen  of  it.  This  work  did  formerly  extend 
the  length  of  five  or  six  leagues,  and  appears  by  the  strength  and  contrivance  of  it  to 
have  been  designed  to  last  as  long  as  the  world." 

Maundrel,  an  English  traveller,  and  consul  at  Aleppo,  visited  Judea  in  1697,  and 
published  an  account  of  his  travels  from  which  we  make  this  further  extract,  concerning 
Solomon's  Aqueduct : 

"  At  about  140  paces  from  Solomon's  pools,  is  the  fountain  from  which  principally 
they  derive  their  waters.  This  the  friars  believe  to  be  that  sealed  fountain  to  which 
the  Holy  Spouse  is  compared,  [Cant.  4,  12,]  and  in  confirmation  of  this  opinion,  they 
pretend  a  tradition,  that  Solomon  shut  up  these  springs  and  kept  the  door  of  them  sealed 
with  his  signet,  to  the  end  that  he  might  preserve  the  water  for  his  drinking  in  the 
natural  freshness  and  purity.  Nor  was  it  difficult  thus  to  secure  them,  they  rising  under 
ground,  and  having  no  avenue  to  them  but  a  little  hole  like  the  mouth  of  a  narrow  well. 
Through  this  hole  you  descend  directly  down,  not  without  some  difficulty,  for  about 
four  yards,  and  then  arrive  in  a  vaulted  room  fifteen  paces  long,  by  eight  broad.  Joining 
to  this,  is  another  room  of  the  same  fashion,  but  somewhat  less.  Both  these  rooms  are 
covered  with  handsome  stone  arches*  very  ancient,  and  perhaps  the  work  of  Solomon 
himself.  You  find  here  four  places  at  which  the  waters  rise  ;  from  these  separate  sources 
it  is  conveyed  by  little  rivulets  into  a  kind  of  basin,  and  from  thence  is  carried  by  a  large 
subterranean  passage  down  into  the  pools.  In  the  way,  before  it  reaches  the  pools,  there 
is  an  aqueduct. of  brick  pipes  which  receives  part  of  the  stream,  and  carries  it  by  many 
turnings  and  windings  about  the  mountain  to  Jerusalem." 

Again,  in  speaking  of  the  environs  of  Bethlehem,  the  same  traveller  thus  more 
particularly  describes  this  aqueduct : 

"  About  two.  furlongs  beyond  David's  well,  lying  west  of  Bethlehem,  are  to  be  seen 
remains  of  an  old  aqueduct,  which  anciently  conveyed  the  waters  of  Solomon's  pools  to 
Jerusalem.  This  is  said  to  be  the  genuine  work  of  Solomon,  and  may  well  be  allowed 
in  reality,  what  it  purports  to  be.  It  is  carried  all  along  on  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and 

composed  of  stonest feet  long,  and  —    —  feet  thick,  perforated  with  a  cavity  of 

inches  diameter,  to  make  a  channel.  These  stones  are  let  into  each  other  with  a  fillet, 
framed  round  about  the  cavity  to  prevent  leakage,  and  united  to  each  other  with  so  firm 
a  cement,  that  they  will  sometimes  sooner  break  (though  of  a  coarse  kind  of  marble)  than 
endure  separation.  This  train  of  stones  was  covered,  for  its  greater  security,  with  a  case 
of  marble  stones  laid  over  it  in  very  strong  mortar.  The  whole  work  seems  endued  with 
such  absolute  firmness,  as  if  designed  for  eternity.  But  of  this  strong  aqueduct,  which 

*  If  this  be  accurate,  and  "  stone  arches,"  or  arches  of  any  kind  really  existed,  then  it  would  decide,  that 
the  construction  was  not  by  Solomon,  since  in  the  detailed  descriptions  of  his  magnificent  temple,  no  allusion  is 
made  to  arches,  which  undoubtedly  would,  if  known,  have  been  resorted  to  in  such  an  edifice. — [En.] 

t  The  traveller  evidently  supposed  the  stones  in  which  the  earthen  pipes  were  tightly  enclosed,  to  have  been 
the  pipes  themselves.— [Ec.] 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY.  9 

was  carried  formerly  five  or  six  leagues,  the  Turks  have  left  only  here  and  there  a  frag- 
ment remaining."* 

Dr.  Pococke,  another  English  traveller,  who  visited  the  same  region  about  half  a  cen- 
tury later,  presents  a  nearly  similar  account  of  these  works.! 

"  We  spent,"  says  he,  "  another  day  in  seeing  the  pools  of  Solomon.  Descending 
the  hills  of  Bethlehem  to  the  south,  we  passed  over  a  narrow  valley  and  ascended  the 
opposite  hills,  on  the  sides  of  which  there  is  an  aqueduct  which  conveys  the  water  from 
the  sealed  fountain  to  Jerusalem.  It  here  winds  round  the  side  of  these  hills,  and  is 
afterwards  carried  through  the  plains  to  Jerusalem,  on  a  level  with  the  surface  of  the 
ground.  *  *  *  A  little  beyond  this  place,  we  came  to  the  pools  of  Solomon,  as  they 
are  commonly  called,  for  there  is  a  tradition  that  these  were  made  by  him,  as  well  as 
the  aqueduct,  which  seems  to  be  confirmed  by  a  passage  in  Josephus,  who  says  there 
were  pleasant  gardens  abounding  with  water  at  Epham,  about  50  furlongs,  or  6  1-4 
miles  from  Jerusalem,  to  which  Solomon  used  frequently  to  go.  *  The 

Talmudists  also  mention  that  the  water  was  brought  by  Solomon  to  Jerusalem,  from  the 
fountain  of  Epham,  so  that  it  is  very  probable  these  are  the  works  of  Solomon,  as  well  as 
the  aqueduct,  though  no  express  mention  of  it  is  made  by  any  author,  so  as  positively 
to  fix  it  to  this  place.  *  *  *  The  aqueduct  is  built  on  a  foundation  of  stone,  the 
water  runs  in  round  earthen  pipes  about  10  inches  diameter,  which  are  cased  with  two 
stones  hewn  so  as  to  fit  them,  and  they  are  covered  over  with  rough  stones  well  cemented 
together,  and  the  whole  so  sunk  in  the  ground  on  the  sides  of  the  hills,  that  in  many 
places  nothing  is  to  be  seen  of  it." 

It  seems,  however,  to  have  been  reserved  for  Rome  and  her  great  race,  to  exhibit 
what  science,  united  with  labor  and  wealth,  could  accomplish  in  this  way  for  the  health, 
comfort,  and  luxury  of  its  citizens. 

Both  Pliny  and  Vitruvius  treat  of  Aqueducts,  and  their  descriptions  are  curious,  as 
giving  the  methods  used  in  the  construction  of  these  works,  among  the  greatest  wonders 
of  Rome,  and  as  indicating  a  knowledge  of  some  hydrodynamical  laws,  the  discovery  .of 
which  is  usual]  y  assigned  to  a  much  later  period. 

Ducts  of  water  according  to  Vitruvius,  were  of  three  kinds — channels  of  masonry, 
leaden  pipes,  or  tubes  of  fictile  ware,  according  to  the  following  rules  ;  when  channels 
are  used  they  should  be  made  as  solid  as  possible,  and  the  bed  of  the  stream  should 
have  a  descent  not  less  than  half  a  foot  in  100  feet,  and  they  should  be  arched  over, 
that  the  sun's  rays  may  not  touch  the  water.  When  the  water  arrives  at  the  city,  a 
castellum  or  reservoir  is  built,  and  a  triple  emissary  to  receive  the  water  is  adjoined 
to  it.  In  the  castellum  are  three  pipes,  equally  disposed  within  the  adjoining  recep- 

*  Vide  Maundrel,  in  Pinkerton's  Collection — [Asia]  vol.  iv.,  p.  350.  1. 

t  Vide  Pococke,  in  Pinkerton's  Collection — [Asia]  vol.  iv.,  p.  439. 
O 


10  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

tacle,  so  that  when  there  is  too  much  water,  it  may  from  the  sides  be  discharged  into  the 
middle  receptacle.  In  the  middle  channel  are  fixed  the  pipes  leading  to  all  the  cisterns  or 
fountains,  in  another,  those  to  the  baths,  which  pay  to  the  people  a  yearly  tribute,  and  in  a 
third,  those  to  the  private  houses,  if  it  be  not  wanted  for  public  use,  for  they  could  not 
return  it  if  they  might  have  peculiar  ducts  from  the  spring  head.  This  disposition  is 
established,  because  by  the  tax  on  the  water  carried  to  private  houses,  the  State  keeps  the 
aqueduct  in  repair. 

But,  should  mountains  intervene  between  the  city  and  the  spring  head,  a  subterra- 
nean passage  is  to  be  dug  through  the  earth,  having  the  declivity  of  one  part  in  two 
hundred,  and  should  the  soil  be  either  gravel  or  stone,  a  channel  is  to  be  cut  into  it, 
but  walls  are  to  be  built  to  conduct  the  water  through  the  earthy  or  sandy  soils.  Wells 
also,  or  air-holes  are  to  be  cut  from  the  top  of  the  water-channel  to  the  surface,  for  the 
purpose  of  allowing  the  air  .which  might  accumulate  in  the  aqueduct  to  escape. 
These  wells  are  directed  to  be  placed  at  a  distance  of  120  feet. 

If  the  water  be  conducted  by  leaden  pipes,  a  castellum  or  reservoir  is  first  built  at 
the  spring  head,  then  the  diameter  and  strength  of  the  pipes  being  suited  to  the  quantity 
of  water,  they  are  to  be  carried  from  the  castellum  to  that  which  is  in  the  city.  The 
pipes  are  not  to  be  less  than  ten  Roman  feet  in  length,  and  were  named  from  the  breadth 
of  the  lead  before  it  was  rounded  into  a  pipe. 

The  manner  of  conducting  water  by  pipes  is  thus  regulated  ;  if  the  spring  head  had 
a  sufficient  current  to  the  city,  and  no  higher  hills  intervened,  the  interval  is,  by 
walling,  raised  to  a  proper  level,  as  mentioned  in  the  description  of  channels  of  ma- 
sonry, or  else  a  circuit  round  may  be  taken  if  not  very  long ;  but  if  there  be  frequent 
valleys,  the  courses  are  to  be  directed  down  the  declivities,  and  when  arrived  at  the  bot- 
tom, a  sub-structure  is  to  be  built,  but  not  high,  that  the  libramentum,  (or  level,  or  coun- 
terpoise,) may  be  as  long  as  possible — this  will  be  the  venter.  "When  arrived  at  the  op- 
posite declivity,  as  on  account  of  the  length  of  the  venter,  the  water  swells  gently,  it  is 
pressed  upward  to  the  top  of  the  ascent ;  whereas  if  the  venter  should  not  be  made  in  the 
valley,  nor  a  sub-structure  built  level,  but  should  be  bent,  the  joints  would  be  destroyed. 
In  the  venter,  also,  columnarics.  are  to  be  raised,  through  which  the  force  of  the  vapors 
may  be  dissipated.  These  columnariae  are  supposed  to  have  been  always  open  at  the  top, 
and  to  reach  above  the  level  of  the  aqueduct. 

It  was  not  unusual,  when  the  level  from  the  spring  head  to  the  city  was  obtain- 
ed, to  erect  a  castellum  at  every  200  actus*  distance,  that  if  damage  should  happen  at  any 
place,  the  whole  work  needed  not  to  be  taken  down,  and  that  the  defective  part  might 

*  The  actus  is  120  feet,  according  to  Columella  and  Pliny,  as  quoted  in  notes  to  Vetruvius,  p.  170.— [Eo.] 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY.  11 

be  the  more  readily  found.  But  those  castellums  are  to  be  built  neither  in  the  decur- 
sions,  nor  in  the  plane  of  the  venter,  nor  in  the  pressures  on  the  part  of  the  aqueduct 
where  the  water  is  raised  by  the  weight  or  pressure  of  the  descending  water,  nor  in 
any  of  the  valleys,  but  always  in  the  even  plane.  But  when  it  was  required  to  con- 
duct water  at  less  expense,  tubes  of  earthen-ware  were  made,  having  a  thickness  of  not 
less  than  two  inches,  and  these  tubes  were  so  formed  that  one  end  being  tongued,  the 
one  entered  the  other  —  then  the  joints  were  cemented  with  quick  lime,  tempered  with 
oil.  In  the  descents,  level  with  the  venter,  a  stone  of  the  red  kind  is  to  be  placed 
at  the  angles,  so  perforated  that  the  last  tube  of  the  decursions  and  first  on  the  plane  of 
the  venter  may  be  joined  to  the  stone ;  so  likewise  at  the  opposite  acclivity,  the  last  in 
the  plane  of  the  venter,  and  the  first  of  the  expressure  are  to  be  in  the  same  manner 
united  to  the  red  stone.  Thus  the  tubes  on  the  even  plane,  as  well  as  those  in  the 
decursions,  will  not  be  split,  for  such  violent  vapors  are  apt  to  rise  in  conduits  of  water 
as  would  even  burst  through  stone,  unless  the  water  was  at  first  gently  and  spa- 
ringly admitted  from  the  spring,  and  the  bendings  secured  with  ligatures  or  weights  of 
ballast ;  in  all  other  respects  they  are  built  in  the  same  manner  as  leaden  pipes. 
When  first  the  water  is  admitted,  ashes  are  sent  before  it,  that  if  any  of  the  joints 
should  not  be  sufficiently  cemented,  they  may  be  stopped  by  the  ashes. 

Aqueducts  of  tubes  have  this  advantage  —  if  any  damage  happen,  any  person  may 
rectify  it,  and  water  from  earthen  tubes  is  far  more  wholesome  than  that  from  pipes,  as 
the  use  of  lead  is  found  to  be  pernicious.  We  should  not,  therefore,  conduct  water  in 
pipes  of  lead,  if  we  would  have  it  wholesome.  The  taste  also  of  that  from  the  tubes 
is  better,  as  is  proved  by  our  daily  meals ;  for  all  persons,  although  they  have  tables 
furnished  with  silver  vases,  use  fictile  ware  on  account  of  the  purity  of  the  water. 

We  add  to  this  detailed  extract  from  Vitruvius,  the  directions  of  Pliny  for  water 
conduits,  chiefly  because  of  the  explicit  assertion  it  contains  of  the  law,  that  fluids  will 
always  rise  to  the  level  of  their  head. 

"  If,"  says  this  author,  "  a  man  would  convey  water  from  any  head  or  spring,  the  best 
way  is  to  use  pipes  of  earth  made  by  the  art  of  the  potter,  they  ought  to  be  two  finger's 
thick,  and  one  jointed  within  another,  so  that  the  end  of  the  upper  pipe  enters  into  the  end 
of  the  under  one,  as  a  tenon  into  a  mortice,  or  a  box  into  the  lid ;  these  pipes  ought  to  be 
laid  even  with  quick  lime,  quenched  and  dissolved  in  oil.  The  least  level  to  carry  and 
command  water  up  hill  from  the  descent  is  100  feet,  but  if  it  be  conveyed  by  one  canal 
only,  it  may  be  forced  to  mount  240  feet.  As  touching  the  pipes  by  means  whereof  the 
water  is  to  rise  aloft,  they  ought  to  be  of  lead ;  this  is  also  to  be  observed,  that  the  water 
always  ascends  of  itself  at  the  delivery,  to  the  height  of  the  head  whence  it  flowed.  If  it 


12  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

be  fetched  a  long  distance,  the  work  must  rise  and  fall  often,  that  the  level  may  be  still 
maintained  ;  the  pipes  ought  to  be  10  feet  long  ;  the  pipes  were  named  from  the  number 
of  finger's  breadths  of  which  the  sheet  of  lead  was  formed  before  it  was  turned  into  the 
shape  of  a  pipe,  and  they  were  also  to  be  of  different  thicknesses.  In  every  turning  and 
winding  of  a  hill,  the  pipe  should  be  five  finger's  round,  and  no  more,  to  repress  and 
break  the  violence  of  the  water  in  the  current." 

From  this  description  of  the  mode  in  which  the  Roman  aqueducts  were  constructed, 
it  is  obvious  that  the  principles  and  precautions,  which,  as  is  sometimes  supposed  modern 
science  has  discovered  and  applied  to  such  structures,  were  known  and  used  at  that  early 
day.  The  declivity  given  to  the  channel  was  indeed  greater  than  that  usual  in  more  mo- 
dern conduits,  but  in  other  respects,  few  or  no  improvements  or  alterations  in  the  manner 
of  building  and  securing  such  works,  seem  to  have  been  made. 

It  will,  however,  strike  the  reader  with  surprise,  to  find  that  leaden  pipes  were  used 
and  found  equal  to  resist  the  pressure  of  columns  of  water,  even  in  passing  it  down  and  up 
steep  declivities.  In  subsequent  pages,  some  remarkable  instances  of  this  will  be  present- 
ed. Iron  pipes  seem  to  have  been  wholly  unknown  to  the  Romans.  Indeed,  the  first 
castings  of  iron  we  hear  of,  were  made  in  England,  as  is  related  by  Baker,  in  his 
Chronicles  of  the  Kings  of  England,  about  the  year  1545,  in  the  35th  year  of  Henry  VIII., 
by  Ralph  Hage  and  Peter  Bawde. 

Pipes  of  cast  iron  are  now  the  only  ones  used  for  mains,  or  large  distributing  pipes. 
These  may  be  made  of  almost  any  diameter,  by  duly  increasing  the  quantity  of  metal 
contained  in  them.  The  largest  pipes  laid  down  in  this  city,  are  of  three  feet  internal 
diameter,  and  in  lengths  of  nine  feet,  weighing  from  3,500  to  3,800  Ibs.  The  largest 
diameter  of  leaden  pipes  used  by  the  Romans,  was  of  12  inches  internal  bore. 

Vitruvius  lays  down  these  rules  for  determining  whether  the  waters  that  are  to  be 
introduced,  be  eligible :  "  If  it  be  an  open  and  running  stream,  you  are  carefully  to  ob- 
serve the  manners  of  men  and  their  conformation,  that  live  around  its  source  —  and  if 
they  be  of  robust  frame,  bright  complexion,  without  deformed  limbs,  or  blear  eyes,  the 
stream  may  be  surely  approved.  Or,  if  the  water  thrown  into  a  vessel  of  Corinthian 
brass  shall  leave  no  spot,  it  may  be  pronounced  excellent.  Or,  boiled  in  a  like  vessel, 
and  left  to  cool,  if,  when  poured  off,  there  shall  be  neither  sand  nor  earth  left  at  the  bot- 
tom, it  may  be  deemed  good.  Again,  if  vegetables  boiled  in  it  be  rapidly  cooked,  it  is 
an  indication  that  the  water  is  pure  and  wholesome."* 

For  441  years  after  the  building  of  their  city,  the  Romans  were  content  to  use  the  wa- 
ter furnished  by  the  Tiber,  (the  yellow  Tiber,t  as  Horace  calls  it)  by  wells,  or  fountains. 

*  Vitruvius,  chap,  v.,  lib.  viii.  t  Ode  2r  lib.  E. 


PRELIMINARY   ESSAY.  13 

To  the  latter  especially,  as  in  some  measure  sacred,  they  showed  a  marked  preference, 
and  believed  that  bodily  infirmities  were  cured  by  the  salubrity  of  the  waters  from  such 
sources  ;  but  when  the  convenience  and  abundance  of  supply  from  aqueducts  was  once 
experienced,  the  enterprise,  wealth,  and  luxury  of  the  great  city,  very  soon  multiplied 
them,  so  that  in  the  reign  of  Nerva,  they  were  nine  in  number,  pouring,  without  a  figure, 
rivers  into  every  part  of  Rome. 

Of  these  magnificent  and  beneficial  structures,  we  have  quite  a  detailed  account  left 
us  by  Sextus  Julius  Frontinus — a  man  of  consular  dignity,  who  was  appointed  by 
Nervdj  superintendent  or  chief  commissioner  of  the  Aqueducts — an  office  of  great  dignity 
as  well  as  responsibility.  The  curatores  vel  prefecti  aquarum  were  invested  with  con- 
siderable authority.  They  were  attended  outside  of  the  city  by  two  lictors,  two  slaves,  a 
secretary,  and  other  followers.  Frontinus,  on  his  appointment,  very  sensibly  concluded, 
as  he  tells  us  at  the  outset  of  his  treatise,  that,  "  considering  in  this  as  in  other  affairs  of 
life,  that  the  first  thing  was  to  know  and  understand  what  he  had  undertaken,"  he  set 
himself  about  collecting  and  noting  down  in  order,  all  that  related  to  the  history,  structure, 
size,  and  defects  of  the  aqueducts  committed  to  his  charge,  the  abuses  to  which  they  were 
liable,  and  the  laws  for  their  protection. 

From  the  treatise  which  was  the  result  of  this  commendable  resolution,  we  now  pro- 
ceed to  borrow  a  description  of  the  nine  Roman  aqueducts. 

The  Aqua  Appia  was  the  first  structure  of  this  sort  erected  at  Rome.  It  was  begun 
about  the  442d  year  of  Rome,  or  312  years  before  Christ,  and  in  the  31st  year  after  the 
Samnite  war,  under  the  direction  of  Appius  Claudius  Crassus,  the  Censor,  to  whom  the 
surname  of  Coecus  was  given.  With  him  was  associated  C.  Plautius,  to  whom  the  name 
of  Venocis  had  been  awarded,  for  his  zeal  in  searching  out  veins  or  supplies  of  water. 
Owing  to  some  intrigue,  however,  of  Appius,  Plautius  resigned  his  station  before  the 
expiration  of  two  years,  and  Appius  alone,  therefore,  enjoyed  the  honor  of  giving  his  name 
to  the  aqueduct,  and  to  another  noble  work,  which,  by  prolonging  his  censorship  unlaw- 
fully, and  through  various  artifices,  he  was  enabled  to  complete,  the  Via  Appia,  from 
Rome  to  Capua. 

The  Aqua  Appia  had  its  source  in  the  Lucullan  territory,  at  about  700  paces  to  the 
left  of  the  Via  Prcenestina,  between  the  seventh  arid  eighth  mile  stone,  and  it  ended,  after 
making  a  circuit  of  eleven  miles  and  190  paces,  at  the  Salinae,  near  the  Porta 
Trigemina,  whence  it  was  distributed  about  the  Aventine  Hill.  It  was  all  subterranean 
except  60  paces,  which  was  carried  on  arches  over  the  Porta  Capena*  "  the  moist 
Capena,"  as  Juvenal  thence  calls  it.  It  was  subsequently  supplied  by  an  additional  stream, 

*  Juvenal  Sat.  iii..  11. 


14  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

conveyed  by  Augustus,  and  called  the  Gemellce,  because  of  the  junction.  This  began  at 
the  sixth  mile -stone  along  the  Via  Prsenestina,  and  the  junction  took  place  near  the  Horti 
Torqiiatieni*  It  is  bel  ieved  no  traces  of  this  aqueduct  now  exist,  though  Piranesi  thought 
he  discovered  some  conduits  under  the  Aventine  Hill,  which  might  have  belonged  to  it 

Forty  years  after  the  Aqua  Appia  was  established,  in  the  481st  year  of  the  city,  the 
Censor,  Manlius  Curius  Dentatus,  began  the  aqueduct,  which  afterwards  was  known  as  the 
Anio  Vetus.  The  expense  of  this  great  work  was  defrayed  out  of  the  spoils  of  the  Pyrrhic 
war.  The  Senate  created  Decemvirs  to  complete  the  aqueduct,  naming  Curius  who  had 
commenced  it,  and  as  his  colleague,  Fabius  Flaccus.  Curius  died  soon  after  the  appoint- 
ment, and  the  glory  of  terminating  the  work  accrued  to  Fabius  alone.  The  Anio  Vetus 
began  above  Tivoli,  at  a  distance  of  20  miles  from  Rome,  and  before  it  reached  the  city, 
it  had  run  by  many  turnings,  in  order  to  preserve  the  level,  a  course  of  43  miles.  Of  this 
distance  42  miles,  779  paces  were  subterraneous,  and  220  paces  above  ground. 

Burgess  conjectures  that  the  remains  of  a  specus  or  water  channel  near  the  Porta 
Maggiore,  of  modern  Rome,  just  visible  among  the  foundation  of  the  walls,  is  all  that 
now  remains  of  this  great  work.t 

At  the  end  of  127  years,  or  in  the  year  of  Rome  607,  Sulpicius  Galba,  and  Lucius 
Aurelius,  being  consuls,  it  was  found,  owing  both  to  the  decay  of  the  existing  aqueducts, 
and  the  frauds  by  which  individuals  intercepted  their  water,  that  the  supply  was  in- 
sufficient ;  the  Senate  therefore  gave  a  charge  to  Marcius,  to  repair  the  old  aqueducts, 
and  to  ascertain  if  some  new  supply  could  not  be  obtained.  This  led  to  the  construction 
of  the  Aqua  Marcia,  of  which  Pliny  thus  speaks  : 

"  Of  all  the  waters  in  the  world,  that  which  we  call  the  Marcia,  in  Rome,  carrieth  the 
greatest  name  by  the  general  voice  of  its  citizens,  in  regard  both  to  its  coldness  and  salu- 
brity, and  we  may  esteem  this  water  for  one  of  the  greatest  gifts  the  gods  have  bestowed 
on  our  city." 

To  accomplish  this  work  a  sum  of  mille  et  octlgenties  sestertium,  or,  in  our  money, 
$3,210,000  was  decreed  to  Marcius,  and  as  the  time  of  his  prefecture  was  too  short  to  bring 
so  stupendous  an  undertaking  to  its  termination,  it  was  renewed  to  him  from  year  to  year. 
While  the  aqueduct  was  in  progress,  the  Decemvirs,  having  occasion  in  relation  to  other 
matters,  to  consult  the  Sybilline  books,  ascertained  that  it  was  not  the  Marcian  water, 
but  the  Anio,  that  should  be  conducted  to  the  Capitol — but  Marcius  persisted,  notwith- 
standing, and  after  three  years  delay,  the  Marcian  water  was  earned  thither.  The  sum  ap- 
propriated could  not  have  sufficed  for  finishing  this  vast  undertaking— but  we  are  left  in 
darkness  as  to  the  farther  means  applied  to  it. 

*  Burgess,  Antiquities  of  Rome,  vol  ii.,  p.  327.  t  Burgess,  vol.  ii,,  p.  328. 


PRELIMINARY     ESSAY.  15 

This  water,  the  most  wholesome  of  any  conveyed  to  Rome,  was  drawn  from  springs, 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Subiaco,  on  the  Anio,  20  miles  above  Tivoli,  in  the  mountains. 
These  sources  were  36  miles  from  Rome,  on  the  Yia  Valeria.  The  whole  length  of  its 
course  was  60  miles  and  710  paces,  of  which  54  miles  247  paces  were  subterraneous,  the 
rest  being  carried  over  arches  as  it  approached  the  city.  It  is  the  remains*  of  these 
arches  which  produce  such  a  striking  effect  in  the  Campagna.  "  They  may  be  fol- 
lowed, says  Burgess,!  for  nearly  two  miles  without  interruption,  by  proceeding  on  the 
road  to  Albano.  and  turning  a  little  to  the  left  after  passing  Tavoluto  at  about  four  miles 
from  Rome.  They  are  built  of  peperine  stone,  and  sometimes  rise  to  a  prodigious  height 
to  maintain  the  level  of  the  channel.  The  '  Specus'  of  the  Aqua  Marcia  is  in  many 
places  still  perfect,  though  now  useless."  Even  in  the  time  of  Pliny,  in  the  60th  or  70th 
year  of  the  Christian  Era,  this  delicious  water  was  lost  to  Rome.  "  Long  ago,"  com- 
plains this  writer,  "  we  of  Rome  have  lost  the  pleasure  and  commodity  of  those  rills, 
through  the  ambition  and  avarice  of  some  great  men,  who  have  turned  away  the  waters 
from  the  city  where  they  yielded  a  pu  bl  ic  benefit  to  the  commonwealth,  and  diverted  them 
for  their  own  profit  and  delight,  into  their  manors  and  houses,  to  irrigate  their  gardens, 
and  to  other  uses." 

Nineteen  years  after  the  Marcian,  or  in  the  year  of  Rome  627,  the  Aqua  Tepula  was 
introduced  by  the  Censors,  Cn.  Servilius  Caepio,  and  L.  Crassus  Longinus,  surnamed 
Ravilla.  It  took  its  rise  in  the  Lucullan,  or,  as  some  called  it,  the  Tusculan  territory.  To 
arrive  at  its  source,  it  was  necessary  to  go  ten  miles  in  the  Via  Latina,  and  then  turn  off  to 
the  right  two  miles.  The  name,  Tepula,  is  conjectured,  by  some,  to  have  arisen  from  the 
water  being  rather  warm  at  the  spring,  as  if  "  tepida."  This  stream  was  conducted 
over  the  Marcian  arches,  as  subsequently  was  another  named  Julia,  in  honor  of  Augustus, 
and  of  which  Agrippa,  in  his  eedileship,  anno  urbis,  719,  discovered  the  spring  and 
conducted  it  to  Rome.  The  length  of  this  aqueduct  was  fifteen  miles,  427  paces,  of 
which  seven  miles  were  carried  above  ground.  Indeed,  this  stream  and  the  Tepula  may 
be  considered  as  belonging  to  the  Marcian  aqueduct,  they  with  the  Marcian  forming  a 
triple  course.  After  collecting  a  number  of  little  tributary  springs,  at  the  distance  of  seven 
miles  from  the  city,  they  flowed  on  towards  Rome,  each  in  its  own  channel,  but  over  the 
same  arches.  The  Julia  was  the  highest,  the  Marcia  the  lowest  of  the  three. 

About  thirteen  years  afterwards,  the  same  Agrippa  brought  to  Rome  the  Aqua 
Virginis,  so  called  from  the  circumstance,  as  related  by  Frontinus,  that  when  some 

*  "Why  do  these  aqueducts  cross  the  Campagna  in  courses  so  unnecessarily  long  and  indirect!  Several 
reasons  have  been  alleged,  all  of  which  may  have  influenced  the  ancients ;  but  their  chief  motive,  in  my  opinion, 
was,  to  distribute  part  of  the  water  to  the  Campagna  itseli,  and  to  diffuse  it  there  in  smaller  veins.  Besides  this 
general  circuit,  the  Romans  bent  their  aqueducts  into  frequent  angles,  like  a  screen,  not  so  much  to  break  the 
force  of  their  currents,  as  to  give  stability  to  the  arcades."— [Forsyth,  p.  133.] 

t  Burgess,  vol.  ii.,  p.  328. 


16  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

of  Agrippa's  soldiers  were  seeking1  for  water,  a  young  girl  pointed  out  to  them  certain  rills, 
which,  having  followed  up,  they  came  to  a  copidus  supply  of  water.  In  a  little  temple 
built  on  the  spot,  a  picture  is  suspended,  commemorating  the  event.  The  springs  thus 
found  were  surrounded  with  a  brick  wall,  and  in  their  course  augmented  by  several 
small  streams,  and  the  united  waters  were  carried  to  Rome  by  an  aqueduct  of  about 
fourteen  miles,  of  which  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  are  above  ground,  and  one  half  of 
the  distance  on  arches. 

The  Aqua  Alsietina  is  the  next  in  order.  It  was  brought  to  Rome  by  Augustus, 
from  whom  it  was  frequently  called  Augusta.  It  was  derived  from  a  lake  of  the  same 
name,  about  fourteen  miles  from  Rome,  and  conveyed  to  the  city  by  an  aqueduct  twenty- 
two  and  one-fifth  miles  in  length,  of  which  358  paces  were  on  arches.  As  its  waters  were 
neither  salubrious  nor  grateful  to  the  taste,  it  is  conjectured  that  the  object  of  Augustus  in 
introducing  them  was  to  supply  the  Naumachice,  and  thus  spare  the  more  wholesome 
waters ;  when,  however,  by  reason  of  repairs  to  the  other  aqueducts,  the  supply  was 
interrupted,  recourse  was  had  to  the  Alsietina. 

This  was  the  water-course,  afterwards  adjusted  by  Trajan,  into  which  he  introduced 
a  new  stream  from  the  lake  Sabbatinus,  now  the  Lago  Bracciano,  and  then  the  name 
of  Alsietina  was  changed  to  Sabbatina.  It  is  now  the  Aqua  Paola,  and  supplies  the 
fountains  of  St.  Peter's  and  the  Vatican.  Some  remains  of  the  original  work  of  Augustus 
(as  is  most  probable,)  may  be  seen  without  the  Porta  S.  Pancrazio,  in  going  towards  the 
Villa  Pamfili  Doria.* 

Independently  of  this  work,  Augustus,  it  would  appear  from  one  of  the  three  inscrip- 
tions on  the  Porta  S.  Lorenzo  placed  over  the  Marcian  aqueduct,  that  he  repaired  the 
channels  of  all  the  waters,  that  is  to  say,  of  the  seven  we  have  enumerated. 

No  other  structures  of  this  sort  were  erected  at  Rome  until  the  time  of  Caligula,  when 
the  seven  existing  aqueducts  being  found  insufficient  for  the  increase  of  luxury  and  popu- 
lation, this  emperor,  in  the  789th  year  of  Rome,  began  two  new  ones.  These  were  finish- 
ed by  the  Emperor  Claudius  with  great  magnificence,  and  opened  for  use  in  the  year  of 
Rome  803.  The  first  was  named  Aqua  Claudia,  and  the  second  Anio  Novus,  to  dis- 
tinguish it  from  the  other  Anio,  which  was  afterward  called  Vettis,  or  the  Ancient.  The 
source  of  the  Aqua  Claudia  was  from  two  fine  springs  called  Cseruleus  and  Curtius,  at  a 
distance  of  thirty-eight  miles  from  the  city,  on  the  Via  Sublacensis,  300  paces  within  on 
a  path  to  the  left.  The  Aqua  Claudia  was  next  in  quality  to  the  Aqua  Marcia.  The 
whole  length  of  this  wonderful  aqueduct  was  46  miles  and  406  paces,  of  which  36 
miles  and  210  paces  were  subterraneous  ;  the  remaining  10  miles  176  paces  were  carried 

*  Burgess,  vol.  ii.,  p.  332. 


PRELIMINARY     ESSAY.  17 

over  arches  in  different  places  as  the  level  required,  viz  :  in  the  more  distant  parts  3  miles, 
78  paces,  and  at  seven  miles  from  the  city,  those  arches  began  rising  in  height  as  they 
stretched  towards  the  capital,  running  in  some  places  parallel  with  the  Marcian  Aqueduct, 
and  sometimes  coming  in  contact  with  it,  as  they  both  approached  their  termination. 
Near  the  Arco  Furbo,  about  three  miles  on  the  road  to  Frascati,  the  two  aqueducts  cross 
one  another,  and  the  whole,  as  seen  stretching  over  the  now  unpeopled  Campagna,*  forms 
one  of  the  most  striking  objects  that  can  be  imagined.  It  was  in  the  Claudian  aqueduct 
that  Sextus  V.  conveyed  the  Aqua  Felice. 

Finally,  to  complete  the  account  of  Frontinus,  the  Anio  Novus  (also  brought  by  Clau- 
dius) took  its  rise  on  the  Via  Sublacensis,  at  the  42d  mile-stone.  It  was,  as  the  name 
implies,  a  portion  of  the  river  Anio.  This  river,  traversing  a  rich  and  highly  cultivated 
region,  was  mixed  in  times  of  rain  with  a  quantity  of  the  soil.  On  this  account  a  puri- 
fying piscina  or  reservoir  was  interposed  between  the  river  and  the  mouth  of  the  aque- 
duct, in  which  the  water  settled  before  entering  the  channel-ways.  In  spite,  however,  of 
this  precaution,  the  water  in  times  of  violent  floods  was  frequently  discolored,  when  it 
reached  the  city.  Another  streamlet,  called  Herculaneus,  rising  on  the  same  road,  about 
38  miles  from  Rome,  and  of  which  the  waters  were  remarkably  limpid,  was  conducted 
into  the  Anio  Novus,  but  in  time  of  rain,  its  advantages  were  lost  by  the  mixture  with  the 
more  abundant  Anio. 

This  stupendous  aqueduct  extended  the  vast  distance  of  62  miles — 48  miles  and  300 
paces  being  subterraneous.  The  rest  was  carried  over  such  lofty  arches,  that  in  some 
places  they  rose  to  the  height  of  109  feet.  - 

All  these  aqueducts  were  carried  to  Rome  on  different  levels,  and  their  waters  were  dis- 
tributed to  the  several  parts  of  the  city,  to  which  their  respective  elevations  were  the  best 
adapted.  The  Anio  Novus  flowed  on  the  highest  line,  and  the  others  in  this  order :  the 
Claudia,  the  Julia,  the  Tepula,  and  the  Marcia  ;  the  waters  of  all  these  five  aqueducts 
could,  however,  be  conducted  to  every  part  of  the  city.  The  Anio  Vetus  was  in  the  sixth 
rank,  as  to  level,  though  from  the  height  of  its  source,  it  might  have  been  conveyed  to  the 
loftiest  parts  of  the  city.  The  Aqua  Virgo,  and  Aqua  Appia,  of  which  the  sources  were 

*  T7ie  unpeopled  Campagna. — "  The  desert  which  encircles  Rome  owed  its  ancient  salubrity,  not  to  any  nat- 
ural advantages  which  it  now  wants,  but  to  the  population  and  tillage  of  the  Latin  States.  During  the  Empire 
the  public  ways  were  lined  with  houses  from  the  city  to  Aricia,  to  Tibur,  to  the  sea.  In  the  interval 
between  these  lines,  the  town  and  country  were  so  interwoven,  that  Nero  projected  a  third  circuit  of  wall, 
which  should  embrace  half  the  Campagna.  At  that  period  the  bad  air  infected  but  a  small  part  between  Antium 
and  Lanuvium  ;  nor  did  it  desolate  these,  for  Antium  grew  magnificent  under  different  emperors,  and  Lanuvium 
was  surrounded  with  the  villas  of  the  great.  At  length  when  a  dreadful  succession  of  Lombards,  Franks,  and 
Saracens  destroyed  the  houses,  pavements,  drains,  crops,  plantations,  and  cattle  which  had  protected  the  Cam- 
pagna from  mephitism,  it  then  returned  to  its  own  vicious  propensity,  for  both  the  form  of  its  surface  and  the 
order  of  its  soil  promote  the  stagnation  of  water." — [Forsyth,  p.  &H  ] 

5 


18  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

in  the  Campagna,  were  necessarily  on  a  low  level,  and  the  Alsietina,  on  the  lowest  of  all, 
was  distributed  in  quarters  about  the  Tiber,  and  other  flat  places.  The  point  of  distribu- 
tion of  the  Anio  Novus,  above  the  level  of  the  Tiber,  was  158.88  feet ;  that  of  the  Claudia, 
148.9  feet ;  that  of  the  Julia,  129 .4  feet ;  and  of  the  Marcia,  125.4  feet.  The  elevation 
of  the  Anio  Vetus,  above  the  Tiber,  was  82.5  feet ;  of  the  Virgo,  34.2  feet ;  and  of  the 
Appia,  27 A  feet.  The  Tiber  itself,  at  Rome,  was  91.5  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.* 

It  appears  from  these  statements  of  the  elevation  of  the  different  conduits,  that  the 
earlier  Romans  conducted  the  water  on  lower  levels  than  their  successors,  either  from 
ignorance  of  the  mode  of  ascertaining  and  preserving  the  exact  level,  or  as  a  precaution 
whereby  they  were  enabled  the  better  to  conceal  the  conduits,  by  burying  them  deep  in 
the  earth  —  and  thus  secure  them  from  notice  and  destruction  by  their  hostile  neighbors, 
with  whom  they  were  in  an  almost  constant  state  of  war. 

Moreover,  at  all  periods,  the  Romans  gave  a  greater  declivity  to  their  conduits  than 
is  practised  by  moderns.  Vitruvius,  in  the  passage  heretofore  quoted,  assigns  the  ratio  of 
one  foot  in  200.  According  to  Scammosi  the  general  practice  of  the  Romans  was  to 
allow  a  fall  of  1  in  500.t 

A  modern  engineer  who  measured  some  of  the  remains  of  these  buildings,  in  order 
to  determine  this  point,  states  that  he  found  the  mean  fall  of  the  ancient  aqueducts 
from  the  purifying  piscinas,  or  reservoirs,  to  the  point  of  distribution,  to  be  about  1  in  663, 
and  that  from  the  source  of  the  stream  to  these  reservoirs,  the  mean  fall  was  about  0.132 
of  an  English  inch  to  the  Roman  passus,  equal  to  58.219  English  inches. 

Thus  the  Anio  Novus,  the  pavement  of  whose  water  channel,  on  its  arrival  at  Rome, 
is  250.3  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  has  a  fall  of  5.2  feet  from  the  purifying  piscinas  to 
the  point  of  distribution,  and  from  its  source  to  this  reservoir  a  fall  of  568.7  feet,  thus 
showing  the  source  to  have  been  824.3  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  other 
aqueducts  showed  a  proportional  declivity,  between  their  sources  and  the  points  of 
distribution. 

The  piscinas  or  reservoirs,  to  which  reference  has  been  made,  were  placed  at  a 
certain  distance  from  the  city,  and  there  the  waters  deposited  their  sediment,  and  there 
also  the  quantity  of  the  supply  was  determined  by  a  register ;  six  of  the  aqueducts 
were  thus  emptied  into  piscinas;  three  of  these,  the  Julia,  Marcia,  and  Tepula  were 
conducted  from  the  purifying  reservoirs  to  the  city,  over  the  same  aqueduct,  as  has 
already  been  noticed,  one  above  the  other.  The  Anio  Novus,  and  the  Claudia  also  flowed 
in  separate  channels  over  the  same  arches.  The  Anio  Vetus  had  a  separate  series  of 
arches.  Neither  the  Virgo,  Appia,  nor  Alsietina  were  supplied  with  piscinas. 

*  Stuart's  Die.  of  Archi.,  art.  Aqueducts.  t  Stuart's  Archi.,  art.  Aqueducts. 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY.  ly 

At  this  period  it  would  appear  that  after  a  heavy  fall  of  rain,  the  greater  part  of  the 
water  flowing  into  the  city  by  all  the  aqueducts,  was  discolored  by  the  mixture  of  earthy 
matters,  even  some  that  were  pure  and  limpid  at  their  sources.  This  impurity  was 
particularly  observable  of  the  two  Anios  that  were  supplied  from  a  river,  which  although, 
flowing  from  a  lake  of  great  transparency,  passed  through  a  rich  soil,  which  in  seasons  of 
rain  rendered  the  waters  turbid.  Indeed,  the  Anio  Vetus  was  rarely  free  from  discolora- 
tion, but  as  it  flowed  on  a  low  level  it  could  not  affect  the  other  waters,  but  the  Anio  Novtis 
being  of  a  lofty  level  and  unfailing  in  its  stream,  was  occasionally  used,  when  the  other 
aqueducts  were  falling  off  in  their  supply,  to  make  good  the  deficiency,  and  hence  all 
were  more  or  less  contaminated — even  the  Marcia,  which  was  the  delight  of  the  Romans 
for  its  limpidity  and  coolness. 

The  Emperor  Nerva  undertook  to  correct  this  evil.  He  began  by  classing  the  aque- 
ducts according  to  the  goodness  of  their  waters.  The  Marcia  was  reserved  solely  for 
drinking — others  according  to  their  qualities,  to  other  uses,  and  the  Anio  Vetus,  as  the 
most  impure,  was  reserved  for  the  irrigation  of  gardens  and  the  cleaning  of  the  streets  and 
sewers.  He  then  caused  the  water  from  the  Anio  Novus  to  be  drawn  from  the  lake  itself, 
instead  of  the  river  ;  and  either  because  the  stream  supplying  this  lake  ran  over  a  rocky 
bed,  or  that  from  the  depth  of  the  lake,  the  water  was  purified  by  depositing  an 
earthy  matter,  it  issued  thence  cool  and  bright,  so  as  to  equal  in  appearance  and  taste  the 
Marcia,  which  it  greatly  surpassed  in  quantity. 

Nerva  caused  numerous  wells  to  be  constructed  in  the  courses  of  the  other  aqueducts, 
in  which  the  waters  deposited  their  sediment.  He  also  framed  regulations  for  the  gene- 
ral distribution  of  the  water,  by  means  whereof  a  more  vigilant  supervision  was  ex- 
ercised, and  a  considerable  increase  was  effected  in  the  quantity  indicated  by  the  registers. 

The  whole  supply  furnished  by  the  nine  aqueducts  is  thus  stated  by  Frontinus,  the 
measurement  being  made  at  the  head  of  each  aqueduct,  except  of  the  Julia  and  Virgo, 
which  are  calculated  from  their  registers  of  delivery : 

Anio  Vetus,     4,398  quinariae.  Aqua  Appia,     1,825  quinariae. 

Aqua  Marcia,  4,690         «  «     Tepula,     445          " 

"     Virgo,    2,504        «  Anio  Novus,     4,738         -« 

"     Julia,     1,368        «  

«    Claudia,  4,607        "  7008 

17,567 
17,567 

quinariae  24,575 

The  quantity  of  the  Alsietina  is  not  given,  but  it  was  computed  to  deliver  about 
400  quinariae— making  altogether,  25,000  quinariae.* 

*  The  quinaria  is  equivalent  to  about  2000  cubic  feet,  of  about  7  gallons  each. 


20  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

But  of  this  immense  abundance,  not  three-fifths,  according  to  the  public  registers,  were 
lawfully  delivered,  the  rest  being  surreptitiously  abstracted  by  individuals.  The  whole 
daily  supply  shown  by  these  registers,  was  14,018  quinarise,  equal  to  about  28,000,000 
cubic  feet,  or  one  hundred  and  ninety-six  million  gallons  !  Notwithstanding  this  pro- 
digious abundance  of  water  supplied  by  the  aqueducts,  which  Strabo  compares  to  rivers 
flowing  along  the  streets  and  through  the  sewers,  the  use  of  well  and  spring  water  was 
not  abandoned. 

The  population  of  Rome*  at  the  period  when  Frontinus  wrote,  between  70  and 
80  years  after  the  Christian  Era,  may  be  taken  at  between  1,000,000  and  1,200,000. 
Assuming  it  at  one  million,  the  daily  supply  of  water  from  the  aqueducts  to  each  inhabi- 
tant, was  196  gallons  ! 

The  supply  of  London,  now  containing  more  than  two  millions  of  inhabitants,  is 
computed  at  37,000,000  gallons,  or  about  one-fifth  of  that  of  ancient  Rome.  The  city  of 
Paris  is  still  more  deficient  in  this  resource. 

The  distribution  of  the  water  along  its  course,  as  well  as  throughout  the  city,  was  re- 
gulated with  scrupulous  care.  Besides  the  piscina  limosa,  or  purify  ing  reservoir  usually 
placed  at  the  mouth  of  each  aqueduct,  there  were  frequent  castella,  or  wells  along  the  line, 
which  both  aided  in  the  process  of  purification,  and  permitted  water  to  be  drawn  occa- 
sionally along  the  route,  for  the  irrigation  of  fields  and  gardens,  and  the  supply  of  baths. 
The  main  castellum  was  that  in  which  the  aqueduct  terminated,  and  whence  the  water 
was  distributed  through  the  city.  These  were  vast,  solid,  and  stately  architectural  struc- 
tures. The  mass  of  ruins  now  called  "The  Trophies  of  Marius,"  from  some  very 
vague  tradition,  are  undoubtedly  the  remains  of  a  vast  castellum,  in  which,  according 
to  the  conjecture  of  Burgess,  the  Aqua  Julia,  and  the  Claudia,  were  received.  The  Pis- 
cina MirabileJ  near  Cumae,  is  a  "stupendous  structure  of  200  feet  in  length,  by  130  in 
breadth,  whose  vaulted  roof  rests  upon  forty-eight  immense  pillars,  disposed  in  rows,  so  as 
to  form  five  aisles  within  the  edifice,  and  sixty  arches." 

The  castellaMvere  of  three  kinds,  public,  private,  and  domestic.}: 

The  public  castella  which  received  the  water  of  the  aqueduct,  were  such  as  have 
already  been  described,  and  from  them  distribution  was  made :  1st.,  to  the  Praetorian 
camps  ;  2d.,  to  the  fountains,  and  pools  in  the  city ;  3d.,  the  Munera,  under  which  head 
are  comprised  the  places  where  the  public  shows  and  spectacles  were  given,  such  as  the 
circus,  amphitheatre,  naumachiae,  &c.;  4th.,  public  works  or  establishments,  such  as  the 

*  See  Gibbon,  Dec.  and  Fall,  vol.  iv.,  p.  105,  et  sequ,  for  a  computation  of  the  population  of  Rome, 
t  Antiquities  of  Rome,  vol.  i.,  p.  199.  j  Anthon's  Die.,  art.  Aqueducts. 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY.  21 

baths,  and  the  trades  of  fullers,  dyers,  tanners,  &c.,  which,  though  conducted  by  private 
persons,  were  deemed  public,  inasmuch  as  they  were  necessary  to  the  general  con- 
venience and  comfort;  5th.  and  6th.,  under  the  terms  of  nomine  Ccesaris,  (in  the  name 
of  Caesar,)  and  beneficia  Principis,  (benevolence  of  the  Prince,)  were  certain  irregular 
distributions,  or  extraordinary  grants,  to  places  or  individuals. 

Castella  Prlvata.  When  a  number  of  individuals,  living  in  the  same  neighborhood, 
had  obtained  a  grant  of  water,  they  clubbed  together  and  built  a  castellum^  into  which  the 
whole  quantity  allotted  to  them  collectively,  was  transmitted  from  the  castellum  publicum. 
These  were  termed  privata,  though  they  belonged  to  the  public,  and  were  under  the  care 
of  the  curatores  aquarum.  Their  object  was  to  facilitate  the  distribution  of  the  proper 
quantity  to  each  person,  and  to  avoid  puncturing  the  main  pipe  in  too  many  places  ;  for 
when  a  supply  of  water  from  the  aqueducts  was  first  granted  for  private  uses,  each  person 
obtained  his  quantum  by  inserting  a  branch  pipe,  as  we  do,  into  the  main,  which  was  pro- 
bably the  custom  in  the  age  of  Vitruvius,  as  he  makes  no  mention  of  private  reservoirs.  In- 
deed, in  earlier  times,  all  the  water  brought  to  Rome  by  the  aqueducts,  was  applied  to  public 
purposes  exclusively,  it  being  forbidden  to  the  citizens  to  divert  any  portion  of  it  to  their 
own  use,  except  such  as  escaped  by  flaws  in  the  ducts  or  pipes,  which  was  termed  aqua  ca- 
duca.  But  as  even  this  permission  opened  a  door  for  great  abuses,  from  the  fraudulent  con- 
duct of  the  aquarii,  who  damaged  the  ducts  for  the  purpose  of  selling  the  aqua  caduca,  a 
remedy  was  sought  by  the  institution  of  castella  privata,  and  the  public  were  hence- 
forward forbidden  to  collect  the  aqua  caduca,  unless  permission  was  given  by  special 
favor  (beneficium)  of  the  emperor.  The  right  of  water  (jus  aquce  impetratce)  did  not 
follow  the  heir  or  purchaser  of  the  property,  but  was  renewed  by  grant  upon  every 
change  in  the  possession. 

Castella  Domestica,  leaden  cisterns,  which  each  person  had  at  his  own  house  to  re- 
ceive the  water  laid  on  from  the  castellum  privatum.  These  were,  of  course,  private 
property. 

The  number  of  public  and  private  castella  in  Rome  at  the  time  of  Nerva,  was  247. 

All  the  water  which  entered  the  castellum  was  measured,  at  its  ingress  and  egress, 
by  the  size  of  the  tube  through  which  it  passed.  The  former  was  called  modulus  accep- 
toriuSj  the  latter  erogatorius.  To  distribute  the  water  was  termed  erogare  ;  the  distribu- 
tion, erogatio  ;  the  size  of  the  tube,  fistularum  or  modulorum  capacitus,  or  lumen.  The 
smaller  pipes  which  led  from  the  main  to  the  houses  of  private  persons,  were  called 
punctoe ;  those  inserted  by  fraud  into  the  duct  itself,  or  into  the  main  after  it  had  left  the 
castellum,  fistula,  illicitce. 

The  erogatio  was  regulated  by  a  tube  called  calix,  of  the  diameter  required,  attached 
6 


22  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

to  the  extremity  of  each  pipe  where  it  entered  the  castellum ;  it  was  probably  of  lead  in 
the  time  of  Vitruvius,  such  only  being  mentioned  by  him ;  but  was  made  of  bronze 
(aneus)  when  Frontinus  wrote,  in  order  to  check  the  roguery  of  the  aquarii,  who  were 
able  to  increase  or  diminish  the  flow  of  water  from  the  reservoir  by  compressing  or 
extending  the  lead.  Pipes  which  did  not  require  any  calix  were  term  ed  solutce* 

The  fact  referred  to  in  the  last  paragraph,  of  the  increase  and  diminution  of  the 
quantity  of  water  flowing  through  a  tube,  by  altering  its  shape,  is  of  sufficient  interest  to 
authorise  some  further  notice  of  it.  It  must  be  stated  in  the  first  place,  that  more  water 
will  flow  through  a  short  tube  than  through  a  simple  orifice  of  the  same  diameter.  It 
may  be  thus  ascertained  :  bore  a  hole  of  an  inch  diameter  in  a  bucket,  plug  it  up,  and, 
having  filled  the  bucket  with  water,  withdraw*  the  plug.  On  examination  of  the  stream 
that  issues  from  the  hole,  it  will  be  found  to  taper  off  considerably  at  half  an  inch  from  the 
distance  of  half  the  diameter  of  the  hole.  If  a  short  tube  of  the  same  diameter  be 
inserted  in  the  hole,  the  discharge  of  water  will  be  greatly  increased,  and  if  at  the  distance 
of  not  more  than  two  or  three  diameters,  this  tube  should  be  made  to  flare  gradually,  or 
assume  a  conical  shape,  the  volume  of  water  passing  would  be  more  than  doubled,  as 
compared  with  the  discharge  throvigh  the  hole,  without  any  tube.  The  principle  upon 
which  this  is  accounted  for  is  that  of  capillary  attraction,  for  if  the  interior  of  the  conical 
tube  be  smeared  with  tallow,  or  any  other  substance  which  does  not  readily  coalesce 
with  water,  the  effect  ceases.t  This  increased  discharge  is  not  confined  to  circular  or 
conical  tubes  ;  the  sides  of  a  channel  may  be  straight  and  its  section  a  triangle  or  square, 
as  well  as  a  circle. 

It  was  to  guard  against  frauds  of  this  nature,  that  the  Roman  Calix  was  adopted ;  a 
short  bent  tube  of  brass  or  bronze,  that  formed  the  communication  between  the  castellum 
and  the  leaden  pipe  for  the  supply  of  private  houses,  which  pipe,  by  a  Senate  decree,  was 
required  to  be  of  the  same  diameter  as  the  calix,  for  the  distance  of  fifty  feet  from  the 
castellum.J 

The  proportion  in  which  the  prodigal  water  of  the  Roman  aqueducts  was  distri- 
buted, is  given  with  great  minuteness  by  Frontinus. 

The  general  result  is,  that  of  the  aggregate  supply  of  14,068  quinariae,  4063 
quinariee,  were  distributed  without  the  city,  (extra  urbem^)  of  which  1718  were  in  the 
name  of  Caesar,  and  the  residue  to  private  use. 

The  remaining  9955  quinariae  were  conveyed  into  the  city,  and  received  into  247 
castella  as  well  public,  as  private ;  3847  quinariae  were  appropriated  to  private  use ; 
the  rest  went  to  public  exhibitions,  useful  trades,  the  supply  of  the  camps,  of  the 
amphitheatres,  fountains,  and  pools. 

*  Anthon's  Die.,  art.  Castellum  Aquae.  t  Ewbank,p.  480.  }  Ewbank,  p.  480. 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY.  23 

Lead  was  universally  used  for  the  supply-pipes  from  the  castella,  and  notwithstand- 
ing Vitruvius  speaks  of  this  metal  as  objectionable  on  the  score  of  health,  we  find  in 
Frontimis  no  allusion  to  any  evil  from  its  general  employment. 

The  liability  of  these  gigantic  works  to  injury  and  decay,  especially  in  the  portions 
above  ground,  is  forcibly  dwelt  upon  by  Frontinus.  The  subterranean  parts  were  easily 
kept  in  order,  as  they  were  neither  subject  to  the  action  of  frost,  nor  to  the  action  of  the 
summer's  heat,  which  the  Romans  seem  to  have  considered  hardly  less  injurious  to 
mason  work. 

Various  causes  of  dilapidation  are  enumerated  by  our  author ;  the  cupidity  of  indi- 
viduals through  whose  lands  the  aqueducts  passed,  and  who,  for  the  sake  of  irrigation,  or 
for  domestic  uses,  were  tempted  to  enlarge  any  holes  through  which  the  water  (Aqua 
Caduca)  oozed  out ;  the  violence  of  tempests,  the  imperfection  of  the  work,  especially  in 
the  more  modern  structures,  and  the  softness  of  the  material,  tuff  a,  too  frequently  em- 
ployed in  portions  of  the  mason  work,  where  there  was  great  pressure.  The  arcades, 
and  especially  those  which  traversed  streams,  were  particularly  liable  to  damage  from  the 
violence  of  storms. 

Another  considerable  source  of  repair,  arose  from  the  adhesion  of  the  sediment  to  the 
sides  and  bottom  of  the  water-channels,  forming  a  thick,  hard  crust,  which  materially  ob- 
structed the  passage  of  the  water,  and  by  eventually  raising  its  level,  occasioned  breaks  in 
the  channel,  whence  the  waters  escaping,  not  only  destroyed  it,  but  the  sub-structures  of 
every  kind  in  the  vicinity.* 

All  work  of  repair,  was  however,  as  much  as  possible  suspended  in  the  summer  sea- 
son, as  then  the  free  use  of  the  water  was  most  needed  and  agreeable.t  The  spring  and  au- 
tumn were  the  working  periods.  Moreover,  a  moderate  temperature  was  deemed  advan- 
tageous, as  permitting  the  masonry  to  be  laid  with  the  degree  of  humidity  deemed  essen- 
tial to  its  perfection  and  ultimate  solidity,  excessive  heat  and  cold  being  alike  unfavorable 
to  such  a  result.  Above  all,  it  was  a  rule,  before  beginning  any  reparation,  to  provide  on 
the  spot,  every  thing  that  could  be  required,  and  in  sufficient  quantity  to  ensure  a  rapid 
execution. 

Whenever  any  of  the  Arcades  within  seven  miles  of  the  city,  and  by  means  of  which 
several  streams  were  at  once  conveyed,  were  undergoing  repair,  the  stream  was  continued 
unbroken  through  leaden  pipes,  across  that  portion  of  the  mason  work.J 

To  preserve  these  noble  structures  from  dilapidation,  Agrippa,  who  was  the  first  na- 
tional superintendent,  formed  a  class  of  slaves,  who  were  solely  employed  on  the  repairs. 

*  Front,  p.  203.  Stuart,  art.  Aqueducts.  t  Ibid.  I  Front,  204, 


24 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 


These  at  first  numbered  250  —  but  at  his  death  he  bequeathed  them  to  Augustus,  who 
transferred  them  to  the  public.  Claudius  established  another  company  of  fountaineers, 
during  the  erection  of  his  aqueduct,  amounting  to  about  460  persons,  divided  into  differ- 
ent classes,  and  with  distinct  duties.  There  were  the  comptrollers,  the  keepers  of  the 
castellum,  inspectors,  paviours,  stuccoers,  and  other  workmen.  A  portion  of  these  were 
lodged  in  the  city,  in  order  to  execute  with  promptness  such  repairs,  as,  without  being  ex- 
tensive, demanded  immediate  attention.  Others  were  stationed  near  the  reservoirs  or 
castella,  or  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  public  shows,  to  supply  water  to  any  point  where 
it  might  be  more  particularly  needed.  Their  maintenance  was  paid  by  the  public,  by  a 
rate  on  domains  and  houses.* 

In  later  days  of  the  Empire,  it  would  seem,  five  additional  aqueducts  were  construct- 
ed, of  which  the  Alexandrian^  as  the  ruins  remain  to  testify,  was  the  chief,  and  most 
magnificent. 

When,  A.  D.  535,  Rome  was  besieged  by  the  Goths  under  Vitiges,  Procopius,l  the 
historian  of  the  Gothic  war,  records  that  fourteen  streams  flowed  into  the  city.  It  was 
of  course  among  the  means  employed  by  the  barbarian  invaders  to  induce  submission,  to 
cut  off  the  accustomed  supply  of  water,  and  Rome,  in  her  1289th  year,  and  after  enjoy- 
ing for  many  centuries  the  lavish  prodigality  of  her  fountains  and  aqueducts,  was  again 
reduced  to  dependence  on  natural  springs,  the  wells  that  had  not  been  neglected  and 
suffered  to  be  filled  up,  and  the  yellow  waters  of  the  Tiber. 

The  great  and  permanent  changes  which  such  a  calamity  must  have  brought  about 
in  the  habits  of  a  numerous  and  luxurious  people,  can  hardly  be  measured.  The  popula- 
tion, indeed,  had  been  sensibly  diminished  from  the  period  of  Rome's  ascendancy,  for 
Gothic  and  Vandalic  conquerors  had  already  despoiled  her  of  most  of  her  wealth,  and  dese- 
crated the  lofty  Capitol  with  the  presence  of  victorious  hordes  of  barbarians.  But  at 
the  period  of  which  we  speak,  it  is  conjectured  that  the  city  still  had  more  than  600,000 
inhabitants. 

This  barbarian  interruption  of  these  accustomed  and  hitherto  unfailing  streams,  cut- 
ting off  not  only  the  luxuries  of  the  baths,  and  of  the  fountains  in  all  their  daily  and 
hourly  uses  for  domestic  purposes,  in  the  gardens  and  the  pools,  necessarily  changed  at 
once  the  whole  internal  economy  and  arrangements  of  the  city.  Perhaps,  among  the 
causes  which  mark  the  final  decay  and  fall  of  Rome,  few  exercised  really  greater  influence 
than  the  Gothic  destruction  of  the  aqueducts. 

*  Front.,  p.  201 — Stuart,  art.  Aqutducta. 

t  Vide  Fabretti  de  Aquis  and  Aquiduc,  dig.  ii.     Burgess,  vol.  ij.,  p.  336. 

}  Procopius,  de  bello.  Gothico.  lib.  1.,  chap.  15. 


PRELIMINARY   ESSAY.  35 

There  does  not  remain,  so  far  as  we  have  been  able  to  discover,  any  memorial  of  the 
cost  of  these  magnificent  erections — nor  of  the  periods  respectively  occupied  for  their  con- 
struction— nor  of  the  nature  ot  the  labor  employed  upon  them. 

Of  the  Anio  Vetus,  Frontinus  merely  relates,  that  it  was  built  from  the  spoils  taken 
from  Pyrrhus — and  of  the  Marcia,  he  says,  the  Senate  appropriated  by  decree.  "  Sestertium 
mille  octingenties,"  equal  in  our  money  to  $3,240,000.  But  whether  this  sum  sufficed  to 
complete  the  undertaking,  or  whether  slaves  or  the  soldiers  were  employed  on  such  works } 
does  not  appear.  Concerning  all  the  other  aqueducts,  we  are  left  without  any  indication 
of  their  cost,  or  of  the  time  employed  on  them.* 

The  regulations  under  which  these  works  were,  and  the  laws  for  their  protection,  are 
more  known  to  us. 

Respect  for  private  property,  in  tracing  the  course  of  an  aqueduct,  seems  to  have  been 
so  scrupulous,  that  it  is  related  t>y  Livy,  when,  in  the  year  B.  C.,  179,  the  Censors,  M. 
Emilius  Lepidus,  arid  M.  Flaccus  Nobilior,  proposed  the  building  of  another  aqueduct, 
that  the  scheme  was  defeated,  because  Licinius  Crassus  refused  to  let  it  be  carried  through 
his  lands.t 

It  is  also  remarked  by  Frontinus,  that  so  "  admirable  was  the  equity  of  our  ancestors, 
that  when  on  the  line  of  an  aqueduct,  any  owner  of  lands  was  unwilling  to  sell  the  por- 
tion required  for  the  public  work,  the  whole  farm  was  bought  by  the  State,  and  after 
taking  what  was  requisite,  the  rest  was  resold."]: 

At  subsequent  periods,  it  would  seem,  from  a  Senate  decree,  to  be  presently  noticed, 
that  the  practice  of  our  own  country,  on  such  occasions,  was  adopted — that  of  taking  private 
property  for  public  purposes,  upon  an  estimate  to  be  made  by  "  good  men." 

We  have  already  seen,  that  the  general  charge  and  control  of  all  the  aqueducts,  was 
confided  to  a  national  superintendent,  who  was  generally  of  high  rank,  and  who,  by  a 
decree  of  the  Senate,  was  to  be  accompanied,  when  going  out  of  the  city  on  official  duty, 
by  two  lie  tors,  three  slaves,  architects,  secretaries,  &c.§ 

He  also,  it  appears,  sometimes  had  two  adjuncts,  who  were  entitled  to  like  honors. 

In  the  earlier  period  of  the  aqueducts,  all  the  water  was  for  the  use  of  the  people, 
except  what  overflowed  from  the  fountains  or  pools  ;  and  it  was  expressly  enacted,  "  that 
no  private  person  should  divert  any  water,  other  than  that  which  overflowed." II  Even 
this  surplus  of  waste  water  was  appropriated  to  baths,  fullers,  dyers,  &c.,  and  for  it 

*  Frontinus,  p.  160.  t  Liv.  xl.,  51.  t  Frontinus,  p.  207. 

5  See  decree,  in  Frontinus,  p.  194.  II  Front.  192. 

7 


26  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

a  stated  tax  was  paid  into  the  public  treasury ;  sometimes  by  general  consent,  a  portion  of 
this  aqua  caduca  was  appropriated  to  the  houses  of  the  chief  citizens. 

The  laws  are  uncertain,  as  to  what  magistrate  exercised  the  right  of  giving,  or  selling 
water.  Sometimes  the  Censors,  sometimes  the  ^Ediles  are  found  doing  so — though  it 
would  seem  as  long  as  the  Republic  had  Censors,  they,  rather  than  others,  exercised  this 
power. 

The  caution  with  which  the  distribution  of  the  water  was  conducted,  and  the  fairness 
with  which  its  use  seems  to  have  been  granted,  are  apparent  from  many  passages  in 
Frontinus.  On  the  latter  point  particularly  he  states,  that  the  Curule  .ZEdiles  were 
required  to  select  two  persons  in  each  street  from  those  who  inhabited  it,  or  owned  property 
in  it,  who  should  determine  where  the  public  fountain,  or  hydrant  should  be  placed. 

Another  strong  proof  of  the  regard  paid  to  the  comfort  and  wants  of  the  people, 
in  respect  of  the  use  of  the  waters,  is  furnished  by  a  Senate  decree  in  the  time  of  Augustus, 
directing  among  other  things,  "that  the  superintendents  of  water,  whom  Caesar 
Augustus,  by  authority  of  the  Senate,  had  appointed,  should  give  special  heed  that  the 
public  fountains,  or  hydrants,  (salientes,}  should  pour  forth  uninterruptedly  night  and  day, 
water  for  the  use  of  the  people."* 

While  the  people  were  thus  gratuitously  supplied,  and  without  limit  as  to  quantity 
from  the  public  fountains,  there  was  a  tax  levied  upon  that  portion  of  the  waters  diverted 
to  private  houses  and  gardens.t 

It  is  remarkable,  and  quite  an  object  of  regret,  that  Frontinus,  whose  details  as  to  the 
aqueducts  are  in  other  respects  so  copious,  has  left  no  record  of  the  rate  of  this  tax,  of  the 
principle  on  which  it  was  assessed,  or  of  its  productiveness ;  such  a  table  at  this  period 
would  have  been  both  curious  and  instructive. 

A  grant  of  water  for  private  use  was  in  all  cases  personal,  and  ceased  with  the  life  of 
the  grantee.  The  residents  of  the  same  neighborhood  united  in  building  a  private 
castellum,  into  which  the  aggregate  for  all  the  associates  was  received  from  the  public 
castellum.t 

Each  associate  had  a  pipe  from  this  private  reservoir  of  the  dimensions  equal  to  his 
share,  and  the  castellarii  who  had  the  supervision,  as  well  of  private  as  public  reservoirs, 
were  required  to  see  that  all  these  distributing  pipes  were  inserted  on  the  same  level, 
because  if  some  were  above,  and  some  below,  a  given  line,  the  lower  pipes  would  extract 
the  largest  quantity.  II 

When,  owing  to  the  death  of  lessees,  or  other  cause,  there  was  a  surplus  of  water, 
*  Front.  197.  t  Front.  202.  j  Front.  198.  II  Front.  200. 


PRELIM  INARY     ESSAY.  27 

public  notice  was  given,  and  applicants  were  supplied  in  the  order  of  their  demands. 
Where,  however,  there  had  been  a  grant  of  water  to  several,  holding  property  in  common, 
the  death  of  one  or  more  of  the  parties  did  not  vitiate  the  grant,  but  it  survived  as  long 
as  any  of  the  parties  did. 

All  the  public  distributing  pipes,  or  calices,  were  stamped  according  to  their  capacity, 
but  a  not  uncommon  fraud  of  the  water  purveyors  was,  when  a  new  grant  was  made  in 
lieu  of  one  relinquished,  or  forfeited,  to  retain  the  old  pipe,  from  which  water  was  sur- 
reptitiously sold,  while  a  fresh  one  was  inserted  for  the  new  grantee.  Experience  having 
proved,  that  frequently,  when  essential  and  speedy  repairs  were  needed  on  portions  of  the 
aqueducts  passing  through  private  property,  difficulties  and  delays  arose  from  the  oppo- 
sition of  the  owners  of  the  neighboring  soil,  to  any  passing  through  their  lands,  or  deriving 
materials  therefrom,  for  the  work  in  hand,  the  Senate  passed  a  law,  declaring  that  as  often 
as  the  aqueducts  required  repairs,  it  should  be  lawful  to  take  from  the  adjoining  lands  of 
individuals,  upon  the  estimate  of  good  men,  any  earth,  soil,  stones,  shells,  sand,  or  wood 
that  might  be  needed,  taking  care  to  do  the  least  possible  injury  to  the  proprietor.  As  a 
thing  curious  in  itself,  we  give  in  a  note  the  original  of  this  decree  as  we  find  it  in 
Frontinus.* 

Another  prolific  source  of  injury  to  the  aqueducts,  was  from  the  plantations  and 
buildings,  with  which  the  proprietors  of  adjoining  lands  constantly  encroached  upon 
the  lines.  Often,  indeed,  country  roads  were  laid  out  over  the  subterranean  course 
of  the  aqueducts  themselves.  Trees  were  planted  in  like  manner  over,  and  near  them, 
and  these  were  found  most  injurious,  for  their  roots  penetrating  deep,  affected  the  masonry, 
and  loosened  the  covering  soil. 

A  Senate  decree,  of  which  the  text  is  given  in   the  note,t  was  finally  passed  to 


*  dvoD.  Q,.  ^ELIVS.  TVBERO.  PAVLLVS.  FABIVS.  MAXIMVS.  Coss.  V.  F.  DK.  RIVIS.  SPECVBVS. 
JVLIJE.  MARCIJE.  APPIJE.  TEPVLJE.  ANIONIS.   REFICIENDIS.   Q..  D.  E.  R.  F.  P.  D.  E.  R.  1.  C.  VTI.  CVM.   n.  RIVI. 

FORNICES.  Q.VOS.  AvGUSTVS.  C.KSAR.  SE.  REFECTVRVM.  IMPENSA.  SVA.  SfiNATVI.  POLLICITVS.  EST.  REFICERENTYR.  EX. 
AGRIS.  PRIVATORVM.  TERRAM.  LIMVM.  LAPIDEM.  TESTAM.  ARENAM.  LIGNA.  C^TERAdVE.  QVIBVS.  AD.  EAM.  REM.  OPVS. 
ESSET.  VNDE.  Q.V.ECIVE.  EORVM.  PROXIME.  SINE.  INJVRIA.  PRIVATORVM.  TOLLI.  SVMI.  PORTARI.  POSSINT.  VIRI.  BONI. 
ARBITRATIO.  ESTIMATA.  DARENTVR.  TOLLERENTVR.  SVMERENTVR.  EXPORTARENTVR.  ET.  AD.  EAS.  RES.  OMNES.  EXPOR- 
TANDAS.  EARVMQVrc.  RERVM.  REFICIENDARVM.  CAVSA.  Q.VOTIES,  OPVS.  ESSET.  PER,  AGHOS.  PRIVATORVM.  SINE.  INJVRIA. 
EORVM.  ITINERA.  ACTVS.  PATERENT.  DARENTVR. 

•t  Q.VOD.  Gt.  JEL,i\s.  TVBERO.  P.  FABIVS.  MAXIMVS.  V.  F.  AQVARVM.  Q.VJB.  IN.  VRBEM.  VENIRENT.  ITINERA. 

OCCVPARI.  MONVMENTIS.  ET.  .KDIFICIIS.  ET.  ARBORIBVS.  CONSERI.  Q,.  D.  E.  R.  F.  P.  D.  E.  R.  I.  C.  CVM.  AD. 
REFICIENDOS.  RIVOS.  SPECVSQVE.  PER.  Q.VJE.  ET.  OPERA.  PVBLICA.  CORRVMPVNTVR.  PLACERE.  CIRCA.  FONTES.  ET. 
FORNICES.  ET.  MVROS.  VTRAQ.VE.  KX.  PARTE.  VACVOS.  CENTENOS.  (JVINOS.  DENOS.  PEDES.  PATERE.  ET.  CIRCA.  RIVOS. 
Q.VI.  SVB.  TERRA.  ESSENT.  ET.  SPECVS.  VLTRA.  VRBEM.  CONTINENTIA.  .SIDIFICIA.  VTRAQVE.  EX.  PARTE.  Q.VINOS.  PEDES. 
VACVOS.  RELINQ.VI.  ITA.  VT.  NEQ.VE.  MONVMENTVM.  IN.  IIS.  LOCIS.  NEQVE.  .EDIFICIVM.  POST.  HOC.  TEMPYVS.  PONERF. 
NEQ.VE.  CONSERERE.  ARBORES.  LICERET.  Sf.  QVJE.  NVNC.  ESSENT.  ARBORES.  INTRA.  ID.  SPAT1VM.  EXTIRPARENTVR. 
PR^ETERaVAM.  SI.  Q.VE.  VII.L.*:.  CONTINENTES.  ET.  INCLVSJE.  .KDEFICIIS.  ESSENT.  SI.  Q.VIS.  ADVERSVS.  EA.  COMMI3ERIT. 
IN.  SINGVLAS.  RES.  IN.  DENA.  MILLIA.  DAMNAS.  ESSET.  EX.  Q.VIBVS.  PARS-  DIMIDIA.  PRJEMIVM.  ACCVSATORI.  DARETVR. 
CVJVS.  OPERA.  MAXIME.  CONVICTVS.  ESSET.  QVI.  ADVERSVS.  HOC.  S.  C.  COMMISISSET.  PARS.  ALTERA.  MESIA.  IN.  JERAR1VM. 
REDIGERETVR.  DEQ.VE.  EA.  RE.  JVDICARENT.  COGNOSCERENTO.VE.  CVRATORES.  AQ.VARVM. 


28  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

correct  these  and  other  evils,  and  to  establish  the  space  that  should  be  left  vacant  on  each 
side  of  the  subterranean  course  of  an  aqueduct,  and  about  its  sources,  superstructure,  &c. 
Around  the  latter,  a  space  was  to  be  left  on  each  side  of  115  feet ;  and  on  each  side  of  the 
former,  within  the  city,  fifteen  feet ;  "  within  which,"  says  the  decree,  "  it  shall  not  be 
lawful,  henceforth,  to  erect  any  edifice,  or  plant  any  trees — and  any  trees  actually  growing 
upon  the  reserved  space  shall  be  cut  down  "*  A  heavy  pecuniary  fine  is  annexed  to  the 
violation  of  the  decree,  of  which  one  half  on  conviction  of  the  offender,  to  go  to  the 
informer  j  the  other  to  go  into  the  public  treasury.  Another  decree  also  forbids  the  sow- 
ing any  grain,  or  cutting  any  hay,  or  feeding  cattle,  within  the  specified  limits. 

The  magnificence  of  the  Romans,  in  these  peculiar  and  most  beneficial  structures, 
was  not  confined  to  Rome,  for  few  cities  of  any  note  in  their  extended  dominions,  appear 
to  have  been  without  one  or  more  aqueducts.  Among  the  most  important,  from  their  magni- 
tude and  actual  state  of  comparative  preservation,  may  be  reckoned  those  erected  in  Gaul.t 

Before  noticing  these,  however,  a  few  words  must  be  given  to  Carthage,  the  great 
rival  of  Rome,  which  also  had  a  vast  aqueduct — but  its  date  and  origin  are  uncertain. 
By  some  it  is  viewed  as  a  monument  of  the  enterprise  and  skill  of  the  Carthaginians- 
others,  among  whom  is  Fischer  D'Erlach,  in  his  Architecture  Historique,  and  Malte 
Brun,  consider  it  a  Roman  work,  after  these  haughty  conquerors  had  annihilated  Car- 
thaginian power,  and  founded  a  second  Carthage  under  Roman  auspices. 

However  the  fact  be,  and  whoever  the  constructors,  it  was  a  most  magnificent  work, 
carried  through  mountains,  and  over  valleys,  for  a  space  of  70  miles  !  Near  Udena, 
there  is  an  arcade  of  more  than  a  thousand  arches,  some  of  them  exceeding  100  feet  in 
height. 

The  cement  used  in  building  the  work  is  as  hard  as  the  stones  themselves,  and,  such 
is  the  tenacity  of  that  which  coated  the  water  channel,  that  where  flakes  of  it  of  100  feet 
in  length  have  fallen  from  the  wall,  they  lie  unbroken.  The  conduit  is  6  feet  high 
within,  and  4  feet  wide,  "arched  to  a  point" — says  Stuart. 

At  Ariana,  about  four  miles  from  Tunis,  other  remains  of  this  aqueduct  are  visible. 
When  mountains  were  tunnelled  in  its  course,  at  every  60  yards,  vertical  openings  were 
driven  through  from  the  surface  of  the  channel  way  to  the  upper  air.  These  openings 
or  ventilators  are  4  feet  in  diameter,  walled  with  hewn  stone,  and  carried  up  about  4  feet 
above  the  surface. 

The  Emperor  Charles  V.,  caused  a  drawing  to  be  made  of  various  portions  of  this 
noble  work  —  the  celebrated  Titian  arranging  the  designs,  to  serve  as  a  model  for  some 
tapestry  to  be  executed  for  the  Austrian  Court. 

*  Frontinus,  p.  206.  t  Stuart,  Die.  Archi.,  art.  Aqued. 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY.  29 

Of  the  Roman  works  in  Gaul,  we  borrow  our  account  from  Stuart : 

"  The  aqueduct  at  Nismes,  is  probably  one  of  the  earliest  that  was  constructed  by 
the  Romans  out  of  Italy.  Its  origin  is  attributed  to  Agrippa,  who  was  invested  by  Augus- 
tus with  the  government  of  this  city,  which  had  become  a  Roman  colony.  Flattered  by 
the  attentions  of  the  citizens,  Agrippa  made  their  city  his  place  of  residence,  and  he 
adorned  it  with  new  city  walls  and  magnificent  baths.  Those  who  suppose  that  the 
object  of  the  aqueduct  was  to  conduct  water  to  the  amphitheatre  only,  instead  of  being 
appropriated  to  the  domestic  uses  of  the  inhabitants,  have  not  regarded  with  attention 
the  peculiarities  of  its  construction.  The  simplicity  and  unornamented  style  of  its  archi- 
tecture, perfect,  however,  in  its  proportions,  and  just  in  every  point  of  its  design,  marks 
the  very  character  of  these  works  of  Agrippa.  The  waters  about  the  colony  of  Neman- 
sis,  from  the  disturbed  state  of  the  springs  in  winter  and  spring,  from  the  muddied  flow 
of  the  torrents  in  times  of  flood,  and  the  deficiency  in  times  of  drought  and  summer,  were 
precarious,  unhealthy,  and  insufficient;  a  colony  so  placed  would  be  left  very  imperfect, 
nay,  defective,  without  the  means  of  obtaining  salubrious  water ;  accordingly,  we  find  an 
aqueduct  and  fountain  at  Nismes,  bringing  a  constant  and  copious  supply,  unmixed 
with  any  of  the  streams  or  rivers  that  might  spoil  it.  To  avoid  this^it  was  brought 
from  the  mountains,  excluding  all  communication  with  the  waters  of  the  country 
through  which  it  passed,  and  where  it  became  necessary  to  pass  the  deep  valley  in  which 
the  river  Garden  runs,  it  was  conducted  across  that  valley  by  a  bridge  of  two  stages  of 
arcades,  at  a  height  of  150  feet  above  the  ordinary  level  of  the  river,  that  is,  measuring 
to  the  top  of  the  second  range  of  arcades,  which  perfected  Agrippa's  erection,  the  water 
being  conducted  on  the  top  of  the  second  arcade.  The  third  story,  part  of  which  is 
now  remaining,  raised  upon  a  range  of  arcades,  has  been  thought  to  be  a  building  of  a 
very  different  age  from  the  two  main  ranges,  in  its  materials,  in  its  structure,  and 
proportions  ;  and  even  in  the  placing  of  its  parts,  it  does  not  correspond  with  the  old 
original  bridge  on  which  it  was  erected.  The  style  of  the  architecture  is  also  said  to 
be  very  different,  and  very  inferior  to  the  rest.  Although  an  adventitious  addition,  it  is 
clearly  Roman  work,  probably  of  a  much  later  age. 

The  length  of  this  aqueduct,  as  far  as  discovered,  is  about  six  French  leagues,  or 
15  miles,  in  a  direction  resembling  a  horse-shoe,  and  derives  its  water  from  the  spring 
of  Eure,  and  Airau,  near  the  village  of  Uzes.  The  Pont  du  Garde  is  in  the  middle  of 
its  course ;  the  greater  part  of  the  ancient  line  can  now  be  traced,  and  much  of  what 
remains  is  in  a  fine  state  of  preservation.  The  observation  made  with  regard  to  the 
parts  of  the  aqueducts  of  Rome  which  were  under  ground,  being  in  the  best  state  of 
repair,  applies  with  still  greater  force  to  the  aqueduct  at  Nismes,  the  subterranean  parts 

being  even  now  in  perfect  preservation.     The  line  was  carried  along  the  sides  of  the 
8 


30  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

hills,  which  were  occasionally  perforated  to  shorten  the  distance,  and,  where  necessary, 
.the  lesser  valleys  were  crossed  by  the  erection  of  small  bridges,  or  arcades,  preserving  the 
level  of  the  aqueducts.  The  greater  portion  of  the  excavated  part  has  been  cut  through 
the  stone  strata  of  which  the  hills  are  composed,  in  some  places  at  a  distance  of  about 
13  feet  beneath  the  surface. 

The  Pont  du  Garde,  is  that  part  of  the  aqueduct  of  Nismes  which  traverses  the 
deep  valley  in  which  runs  the  Garden  or  Garde,  between  the  mountains  near  Vers  and 
St.  Bennet. 

This  part,  considered  even  alone,  is  one  of  the  grandest  erections  made  by  the 
Romans  in  Gaul.  The  first  row  of  arcades,  beneath  which  runs  the  Gardon,  is  com- 
posed of  six  arches ;  the  second  row  has  eleven  arches,  and  the  third  range  has  thirty- 
fire.  All  these  arches  are  semi-circular,  springing  from  piers,  more  or  less  high  ;  it  was 
upon  the  third  range  that  the  water  channel  was  formed  according  to  some  antiquaries. 

According  to  the  measurement  of  a  French  engineer,  the  height  of  this  aqueduct 
bridge  is  about  157  feet  above  the  low  water  level  of  the  river.  Its  length  on  the  level 
of  the  moulding  terminating  the  first  range  of  arcades,  is  561  feet,  and  876  feet  on  the 
level  of  the  moulding  terminating  the  second  story. 

The  total  height,  according  to  the  same  author,  is  161  feet ;  namely,  66  feet  for  the 
first  range,  66  feet  for  the  second  range,  and  21J  feet  for  the  third  range  to  the  top  of  the 
flags  covering  the  water  channel ;  the  width  of  the  bridge  is  21  feet  at  the  first  range, 
16  feet  on  the  second,  10  feet  on  the  third  ;  this  forms  a  considerable  offset  on  each  stage  ; 
the  five  piers  of  the  first  range  of  arcades  were  formed  with  salient  angles  or  bees.  The 
division  of  the  arches  on  the  first  and  second  stories  is  the  same  ;  the  middle  arch  of  the 
first  range,  under  which  the  river  passes,  and  which  is  the  centre  of  the  entire  aqueduct, 
is  70  feet  in  diameter ;  three  on  each  side  are  of  smaller  dimensions.  All  the  arches 
on  the  third  range  or  story  are  equal,  being  15  feet  in  diameter ;  the  piers  of  the  first  and 
second  series  of  arches  are  15  feet  in  front ;  those  of  the  third  range  vary  according  to 
the  diameter  of  the  arches  of  the  range  beneath  them,  four  arches  of  the  third  range 
corresponding  with  the  middle  or  water  way  of  the  lower  story. 

As  the  two  mountains  forming  the  valley  of  Gardon  are  not  of  equal  height  at  the 
points  in  the  line  of  aqueduct,  that  on  the  left  side  of  the  river  being  lower  than  the  level 
of  the  aqueduct,  while  the  right  side  is  more  elevated,  the  conduit  on  one  side  is  carried 
onwards  by  continuing  the  third  range  of  arches,  and  on  the  other  side,  the  range 
terminates  in  the  side  of  the  mountain. 

The  Pont  du  Garde  is  constructed  entirely  with  hewn  stone  ;  no  rubble  work  is 
introduced  even  into  the  filling  up  of  the  piers,  or  spandrils  of  the  arches.  The  masonry 


PRELIMINARY     ESSAY.  31 

has  been  finished  and  put  tog-ether  without  lime,  or  any  other  kind  of  cement,  and  owes 
its  stability  to  the  mass  of  each  block,  and  the  precision  of  the  faces  in  their  beds  and 
joints.  The  canal  of  the  aqueduct  is  in  fact  the  only  part  which  is  not  constructed  with 
hewn  stonesr  being  made  with  a  sort  of  jointed  rubble  on  the  outer  and  inner  faces  of  the 
canal,  but  of  the  common  rubble  in  the  filling  up.  This  work,  where  the  cement  has  not 
been  sparingly  used,  forms  a  mass  absolutely  impenetrable  to  any  passage  of  the  water. 
The  inside  facing  of  the  walls,  and  the  bottom  hollowed  in  the  form  of  an  arc  of  a  circle, 
were  covered  with  a  coat  of  cement  about  two  inches  in  thickness,  composed  of  quicklime, 
fine  sand,  and  pulverised  bricks.  This  cement  is  at  the  present  day  of  a  consistence 
equal  to  that  of  the  hardest  and  most  compact  stone,  and  without  the  slightest  crevice  or 
flaw  to  be  any  where  seen  in  it.  This  first  coat  of  cement  was  covered  with  a  second 
layer  of  mastic,  very  fine  and  very  thin,  of  a  deep,  dark,  red  color.  The  width  of  the 
canal  between  the  outer  coats  was  four  feet,  and  its  height  the  same. 

The  general  declivity  of  the  bed  of  the  aqueduct  was  about  four  centimetres  for  one 
hundred  metres,  or  one  and  one-third  inches  to  three  hundred  and  twenty-eight  feet. 

The  aqueduct  has  been  constructed  with  the  same  care  throughout  its  great  length, 
the  only  difference  being  that,  in  the  parts  exposed,  the  aqueduct  was  covered  with  slabs, 
and  in  the  subterranean  portion  it  was  covered  with  a  semi-circular  arch,  of  a  species  of 
rubble  roughly  squared  in  the  joints,  nearly  two  feet  in  thickness. 

In  examining  the  water  channel,  a  strong  concretion  is  observable,  adhering  to  the 
cement  on  the  sides  and  bottom.  This  petrifaction  is  nearly  twenty-nine  centimetres  thick, 
or  11  and  one-third  inches,  and  from  this  it  appears,  that  the  general  height  of  the  stream 
of  water  in  the  channel  was  about  three  feet  nine  inches. 

This  interesting  monument  of  ancient  Roman  magnificence  was  demolished  at  its 
two  ends,  some  time  about  the  beginning  of  the  fifth  century,  by  the  barbarians  who 
then  besieged  Nismes,  and  who,  by  this  means,  endeavored  to  force  the  citizens  to 
surrender.  It  remained  in  this  state  until  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century,  when 
the  Duke  de  Rohan,  in  order  to  make  a  passage  for  his  artillery,  perforated  the  piers  of 
the  second  arcade,  and  by  some  other  operations  directed  to  the  same  end,  the  Pont  du 
Garde  was  rapidly  falling  to  pieces.  Considerable  rents  in  the  walls,  and  deviations 
from  the  perpendicular,  exciting  public  attention,  the  provincial  States  took  the  matter  into 
consideration,  and  by  a  series  of  judicious  repairs,  they  succeeded  in  restoring  this  ornament 
of  Languedoc  to  the  state  in  which  it  was,  before  the  dilapidations  of  the  Due  de  Rohan. 

In  1746,  the  project  of  building  a  bridge  near  the  site  of  this  aqueduct  was,  fortunately 
for  its  further  stability,  modified  so  as  to  be  built  adjoining  to  it.  M.  Petot  proposed  to 
form  this  bridge  on  the  eastern  face  of  the  Pont  du  Garde,  and  rigorously  following  the 


32  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

dimensions  of  the  piers  and  arcades  of  the  ancient  aqueduct,  this  was  shortly  afterwards 
erected. 

Aqueduct  at  Lyons.  Nothing  gives  us  a  higher  idea  of  the  ancient  splendor  of  the 
city  of  Lyons  (Lugdunum,)  under  the  emperors,  than  the  remains  of  its  ancient  buildings, 
temples,  palaces,  amphitheatres,  naumachias,  baths,  and,  above  all,  its  aqueducts,  erected 
during  the  reigns  of  Augustus,  Tiberius,  and  Claudius,  to  supply  that  part  of  the 
city  with  water,  which  was  situated  on  the  heights.  The  oldest,  that  erected  by 
the  troops  of  Marcus  Antoninus,  drew  its  waters  by  two  branches,  from  the  group 
of  hills,  called  in  modern  times,  Mont  d'Or  :  this  stream  having  been  found  inadequate 
for  the  proper  supply  of  even  the  highest  division  of  the  city,  a  second  aqueduct  was 
constructed,  which  drew  its  water  from  the  Loire.  The  third  aqueduct  was  formed 
under,  to  conduct  water  to  the  highest  part  of  the  city,  on  which  was  erected  the  palace 
built  by  the  Emperor  Claudius.  Remains  of  other  minor  aqueducts,  built  in  the  same 
age,  are  of  the  same  construction,  the  arches  and  parts  apparent  being  of  the  masonry 
called  by  the  ancients  opus  reticulatum.  A  fourth  aqueduct,  formed  along  the  bank 
of  the  Rhone,  appears  to  have  been  the  source  from  which  the  lower  city  received  its 
supply  of  water ;  and  from  its  remains  there  is  little  question  but  that  it .  also  was 
constructed  by  the  Romans.  The  Claudian  aqueduct,  being  that  which  has  most 
attracted  the  attention  of  antiquaries,  will  be  described  more  in  detail. 

The  body  of  the  work,  that  is,  the  arcades  that  carried  the  aqueduct  across  the 
valleys,  is  built  of  masses  of  rubble  stone  and  cement,  faced,  as  has  been  stated,  with  the 
opus  reticulatum.  In  this  instance,  this  kind  of  work  is  supposed  to  have  been  formed 
by  laying  a  bottom  of  brick,  of  two,  three,  or  four  layers,  then  a  caisson  of  wooden  sides 
was  applied  to  it,-  and  fixed  thereon.  The  caisson  was  first  lined  with  the  squared  stones 
which  were  to  form  the  face ;  the  middle  was  then  filled  with  rubble  stones,  into  which 
a  liquid  cement  of  lime,  fine  gravel,  and  water,  beaten  up  to  a  perfect  degree  of  incorpora- 
tion in  its  liquidness,  so  as  to  become  a  binding  cement,  was  poured,  and  in  that  state 
entered  into  every  interstice  of  the  rubble  work.  This  operation  being  repeated,  the 
whole  was  wrought  into  one  incrusted  rock,  harder  than  either  of  the  materials  themselves 
separately  were.  One  can  conceive,  says  a  learned  antiquary,  how  a  careful  beating 
together  of  these  materials  had  the  effect  of  creating  so  binding  a  cement,  since  we  know 
from  our  own  practice,  that  puddling  earth,  fine  gravel,  and  water  together,  form  a  lining 
for  a  canal,  that  becomes  impervious  to  water  when  once  settled,  and  it  was  probably  from 
this  puddling,  and  not  from  any  secret  as  to  the  materials  of  the  mortar,  not  now  known, 
that  this  ancient  cement  owed  its  cohesive  strength.  When  this  square  was  set,  the 
sides  of  the  caisson  were  taken  off,  and  another  layer  of  bricks  was  then  laid,  and  so 
Another  caisson,  and  so  on.  The  bricks  used  in  this  construction  were  one  foot  nine  inches 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY.  33 

long,  one  foot  broad,  and  one  and  a  half  inches  thick  ;  the  cement  of  one  of  the  aqueducts 
at  the  bottom  is  six  inches  thick,  and  one  and  a  half  thick  on  the  sides  ;  about  two  feet 
above  the  floor  of  the  canal  were  fixed,  on  each  side,  cramps  of  three  lines  square,  at  two 
and  a  half  feet  distance  from  each  other.  The  utmost  breadth  of  the  piers  of  the  aque- 
duct of  Chaponost,  which  carried  a  canal  of  three  feet  broad,  by  six  feet  high,  is  not 
more  than  six  feet,  while  the  breadth  of  the  aqueduct  which  passed  over  the  river 
Baunan,  arid  which  has  no  canal,  is  24  feet  broad,  consisting  of  two  piers,  each  five  feet, 
supporting  an  arch  14  feet  in  diameter. 

M.  Delorme,  in  his  account,  (Seance  de  1'Academie,  1759,)  traced  three  of  the 
aqueducts  of  ancient  Lugdunum  to  their  source,  in  three  several  tracks,  of  many  miles 
each.  He  examined  their  general  level,  and  the  level  of  each  part,  as  they  ran  above  and 
under  ground,  along  the  sides  of  the  mountains,  and  sides  of  valleys,  and  over  the 
bridges  where  they  passed  the  valleys ;  he  observed  the  apparent  care  which  the  archi- 
tects of  these  edifices  took  to  avoid  the  building  of  works,  enormous  in  bulk,  height,  and 
expense,  by  carrying  the  walls  up  into  the  narrower  and  shallower  parts  of  the  valleys. 
Where  smaller  bridges  would  serve,  and  where  they  could  carry  the  waters  over  a 
bridge  by  a  rectilinear  canal,  they  always  built  up  bridges  to  that  level,  but  where  that 
would  become  too  high,  and  yet  where  a  bridge  was  necessary,  they  built  bridges  of  a 
height  sufficient  to  carry  the  water  over  in  syphons  of  easy  curvature. 

The  sources  of  supply  of  the  aqueduct  of  Mont  de  Pile,  were  from  the  waters  of  the 
river  Gievre,  from  the  rivulet  of  Sauon,  and  probably  from  the  river  Tanon,  to  which 
were  joined  those  of  the  rivulet  Langoneau  ;  after  these  waters  were  united  in  one 
stream  at  the  aqueduct  bridge  of  the  little  Varizelle,  they  make  a  long  detour  on  the 
sides  of  the  mountains  and  hills,  till  they  arrive  at  the  valleys,  which  they  must  pass ; 
yet  here  they  are  seen  trained  along  the  sides  of  these  valleys,  until  they  come  to  situa- 
tions which  are  not  so  deep  or  so  wide.  It  is  then  that  the  architects  built  bridges 
across  the  valleys,  over  which  to  conduct  the  waters,  either  in  rectilinear  canals,  or  in 
syphons ;  had  this  latter  precaution  not  been  taken,  the  construction  of  such  bridges 
would  have  been  of  necessity  so  high  as  to  become  enormous,  both  in  work  and  expense ; 
yet,  notwithstanding  all  these  precautions,  there  were  in  the  aqueduct  which  takes  its 
sources  in  Mount  Pile,  and  determines  at  the  gates  St.  Irenaeus,  nine  bridges  carrying 
aqueducts,  and  three  calculated  to  carry  syphons. 

The  ninth  is  in  a  very  deep  and  wide  bottom,  on  the  heights  of  Soncieu.  The 
aqueduct,  when  it  arrives  at  this  bottom,  is  terminated  with  a  reservoir  at  the  south 
edge  of  the  valley  of  the  river  Garon.  The  mode  by  which  the  water  passed  this  pro- 
found chasm,  was  by  causing  it  to  flow  from  a  reservoir  on  the  one  side,  in  leaden  pipes^ 
bedded  in  the  sides  of  the  valley  along  part  of  the  descent ;  it  then  flowed  in  continued 


34  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

pipes  of  the  same  sort,  bedded  on  a  bridge,  whose  top  course  was  built  in  a  descending 
or  reversed  curve ;  having  thus  passed  over  this  bridge,  when  they  came  at  a  certain 
height,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  valley,  they  were  protruded  up  in  pipes,  bedded  as 
before,  on  the  opposite  sides  of  the  valley,  and  the  water  was  delivered  in  another  reser- 
voir on  the  top  of  this  opposite  hill,  called  the  reservoir  of  Chaponost.  From  this 
reservoir,  the  water  entered  into  the  aqueduct  of  Chaponost,  which  runs  under  ground 
along  the  west  side  of  the  village.  It  emerges  on  the  north,  and  flows  over  a  bridge 
composed  of  ninety  arches,  of  which  more  than  sixty,  in  Delorme's  time,  were  remaining. 
This  was  terminated  by  a  reservoir,  whence  the  water,  in  like  manner  as  before, 
descended  by  pipes  into  another  valley,  and  in  part  passed  it  and  the  river  Baunan,  over 
a  bridge  of  a  reversed  curvature,  and  mounted  again  on  the  opposite  side,  there  entering 
a  second  reservoir  at  St.  Foi. 

The  waters  flowed  hence  in  a  canal,  carried  by  a  bridge  for  some  way  above  ground, 
and  then  became  subterraneous,  and  continued  thus  along  the  heights  to  the  point  near 
the  gate  of  St.  Irenseus.  Here  another  reservoir  was  situated  ;  hence  the  waters  flowed  in 
leaden  pipes,  which  descended  into  the  fosse  of  St.  Irenseus,  and  passing  along  the  bottom  of 
it,  rose  again,  and  emptied  themselves  in  a  reservoir,  built  near  a  spot  which  can  be  traced 
in  the  walls  of  the  city,  at  the  Mall  of  Fourviere,  above  the  gate  of  Trion,  on  the  south 
side  of  a  square  tower.  These  pipes  were  not  carried  across  this  ditch  and  valley  upon 
a  bridge,  as  has  been  stated  by  some  authors  ;  there  are  not  the  least  vestiges  of  such  ;  but 
they  were  bedded  on  a  massive  course  of  masonry.  This  aqueduct  has  a  course  of  more 
than  13  leagues,  or  about  33  miles  ;  its  distance  in  a  right  line,  is  about  eight  leagues, 
and  its  descent  from  the  bridge  of  the  little  Varizelle  to  the  Fourviere,  is  360  feet. 

Delorme  next  describes  the  nature  of  these  reservoirs  placed  on  each  side  of  those 
valleys,  across  which  the  waters  were  passed  in  syphons  over  a  bridge  of  reversed  curva- 
ture. The  one  is  for  holding  up,  or  receiving,  and  thence  emitting,  the  waters  which  are 
to  be  conveyed  in  pipes,  and  the  other  is  to  receive  a  sufficient  quantity  of  water  for  dis- 
tribution to  the  succeeding  canal. 

The  emitting  reservoir  of  the  Garon  aqueduct  bridge  is  placed  upon  a  quadrangular 
tower  fourteen  feet  long,  and  four  and  a  half  feet  broad.  The  wall  of  the  side  next  the 
valley,  is  pierced  at  nine  feet  above  the  bottom  of  the  reservoir,  with  nine  apertures,  nearly 
oval,  of  12  inches  in  height,  and  10  in  width.  The  piers  of  the  walls  between  these 
openings  were  7  inches  thick.  It  was  through  these  openings,  that  the  waters  passed  out 
of  the  reservoir  by  as  many  leaden  pipes,  which  descended  into  the  valley  in  part  along 
the  sides,  and  in  part  over  arches  rampant,  that  is,  arches  whose  successive  tops  formed  an 
inclined  plane,  which  declivity  was  so  regulated  as  not  to  have  too  sudden  a  descent. 
Hence  they  passed  to,  and  over  the  bridge,  and  rose  again  on  the  opposite  side  in  the  same 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY.  35 

manner,  and  were  inserted  in  the  wall  of  another  receiving  reservoir.  This  receiving 
reservoir  differed  from  the  emitting  one  only  in  this,  that  it  held  the  waters  flowing  towards 
the  bottom  of  its  basin,  and  the  emitting  one  poured  them  out  from  the  upper  part,  about 
three  feet  from  the  bottom,  so  that  while  the  water  rose  in  the  emitting  reservoir  to  three 
or  four  feet,  that  in  the  receiving  one  would  not  rise  more  than  two  feet.  The  nine  leaden 
pipes  through  which  the  water  flowed,  had  each  eight  inches  diameter  in  the  clear ;  the 
thickness  of  the  lead  of  which  they  were  composed  was  about  one  inch. 

Delorme  also  mentions  a  circumstance  in  this  syphon  aqueduct,  which  has  given  rise 
to  much  discussion  among  those  who  have  examined  the  subject ;  he  states  that  these 
syphon  pipes,  after  having  descended  about  75  feet,  each  divided  itself  into  two  branches, 
and  that  thus  the  waters  are  carried  the  rest  of  the  course  over  the  bridge  in  eighteen 
pipes,  and  until  they  rise  again,  on  the  opposite  side,  to  a  height  of  about  70  feet,  at  which 
point  they  are  again  united,  arid  the  waters  pass  on,  and  enter  the  receiving  reservoir  in 
nine  pipes. 

In  opposition  to  this  opinion  of  Delorme,  another  eminent  architect,  who  examined 
the  aqueduct,  thought  that  the  receiving  and  emitting  reservoirs  had  the  same  number  of 
pipes,  and  that  the  nine  pipes  which  proceeded  from  the  one  to  the  other,  preserved  the 
same  dimension  throughout. 

Delorme  says  that  the  water  in  the  emitting  reservoir,  was  higher  by  one  foot  than 
that  in  the  receiving  one ;  but  Mr.  Villar,  a  man  of  science,  resident  at  Lyons,  took  the 
level,  and  found,  as  might  have  been  expected,  that  the  water  in  the  receiving  reservoir 
was  higher  by  at  least  12  inches  than  that  in  the  emitting  reservoir. 

To  construct  these  individual  aqueducts,  says  another  architect,  the  Roman  architects 
began  by  forming  a  trench  five  feet  wide,  and  ten  feet  deep,  having  a  uniform  slope  of  one 
foot  in  600.  In  this  trench  they  formed  the  aqueduct  or  water  channel  of  masonry, 
keeping  the  same  dimensions  in  the  parts  excavated  from  the  rock,  as  in  those  which  were 
cut  into  the  clay  or  ground  soil. 

The  bottom  of  this  trench  was  laid  with  masonry,  a  foot  thick ;  on  this,  two  walls 
were  erected,  each  1  1-2  feet  thick,  and  5  feet  high,  and  having  a  space  between  them  of 
2  feet,  which  formed  the  canal  for  the  passage  of  the  water ;  this  space  was  enclosed  on 
the  top  by  a  semi-circular  arch  1  foot  thick,  and  then  covered  with  a  layer,  2  feet  thick,  of 
earth.  The  bottom  of  the  canal  had  a  coat  of  cement  6  inches  thick,  and  a  coat  of  1  1-2 
inches  on  the  sides,  which  reduced  the  intervals  between  the  walls  to  21  inches.  The 
angles  were  formed  by  the  sides  and  bottom,  rounded  by  cement.  The  walls  were  con- 
structed with  small  rough  stones,  from  3  to  6  inches  in  thickness,  laid  in  a  bed  of  mortar, 
so  that  no  void  was  left  between  the  pieces.  It  would  appear  that  the  use  of  stones 


36  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

larger  than  6  inches,  was  avoided,  as  the  walls  formed  of  small  stones,  well  bedded  iri 
mortar,  formed,  in  the  estimation  of  the  ancient  Lyonese  architects,  masses  of  greater 
compactness,  than  those  built  with  larger  pieces. 

The  builders  also  used  gravelly  sand  for  this  kind  of  masonry,  in  preference  to  fine 
sand,  which  is  proper  only  for  the  cement ;  and  when  they  were  obliged  to  use  the  finer 
sand,  they  took  care  to  mix  it  with  pulverised  bricks,  a  practice  adopted  also  in  cases 
where  coarse  sand  was  mixed  in  abundance ;  lime  burnt  from  good  stones  was  used  with 
unsparing  profusion. 

The  cement  employed  for  the  sides  and  bottom  of  the  aqueduct,  was  composed  of 
pieces  of  brick  the  size  of  peas,  for  the  first  coats,  and  somewhat  finer  for  the  finishing 
plaster.  That  on  the  bottom  of  the  canal,  is  made  of  pieces  as  large  as  nuts,  and  in  many 
places  the  size  of  eggs ;  the  composition  was  made  with  lime  fresh  slaked.  That  which 
contributed  to  make  good  cement,  as  well  as  good  mortar,  in  their  opinion,  both  in  the 
one  and  the  other,  was  the  effectual  mixing  of  the  ingredients,  so  as  that  the  mass  should 
be  all  of  the  same  temper,  which  is  known  when  the  composition  was  of  the  same  color 
throughout. 

In  the  aqueducts  not  built  in  the  earth,  the  walls  are  from  22  to  24  inches  thick, 
the  exterior  faces  formed  of  reticulated  work,  the  lozenges  being  from  3  to  6  inches 
square,  without  any  course  of  bricks.  The  arch  of  the  water  channel,  where  it  was  not 
covered  with  earth,  was  somewhat  curved,  to  throw  off  the  rain,  but  yet  so  flat  as  to  serve 
for  a  road  of  communication  between  the  reservoirs,  and  within  the  aqueduct,  and  which 
was  entered  through  iron  doors  placed  in  the  arch  of  the  reservoir,  and  also  in  that  of  the 
one  or  two  places  of  the  arch  channel  aqueduct  bridge.  The  subterranean  channels  had 
similar  entrances,  like  square  pits,  the  mouths  of  which  were  elevated  2  or  3  feet  above 
the  surface  of  the  .ground  they  were  driven  into. 

The  entrance  of  the  water  into  the  aqueduct  was  regulated  by  a  vane,  or  sliding  valve, 
of  a  certain  dimension,  as  only  a  certain  quantity  was  allowed  to  flow  into  each  branch. 
This  does  not  appear  ever  to  have  exceeded  21  inches  of  elevation,  which  was  sufficient 
to  fill  all  the  syphons  ;  without  this  precaution  the  volume  of  Avater,  which  might  have 
risen  to  4  feet,  would  have  been  too  great.  It  is  probable  that  the  regulating  vane  or 
sluice  could  be  raised,  or  lowered,  at  pleasure  to  allow  for  the  increase  of  head,  and  that 
the  superfluous  quantity  was  at  times  permitted  to  flow  into  some  other  channel. 

Where  the  aqueduct  was  carried  above  ground,  it  was  buiH  on  a  footing  of  masonry 
6  feet  thick,  even  where  the  elevation  above  the  surface  did  not  exceed  6  or  7  feet ;  but 
when  it  was  greater,  arches  were  formed,  and  also  piers,  when  the  elevation  was  consid- 
erable ;  on  this  elevation  depended  the  span  of  the  arches,  the  thickness  of  the  piers,  and 
their  height.  For  an  opening  of  18  feet  in  height  the  width  is  12  feet,  and  the  piers  6 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY.  37 

feet,  sustaining  a  semi -circular ;  when  the  inequality  of  the  surface  did  not  allow  the 
piers  to  have  an  equal  height  of  18  feet  to  each  opening,  the  piers  were  shortened,  and 
the  other  parts  remained  of  the  same  general  dimensions.  The  piers  of  the  arches  in 
some  places,  are  rather  less  on  the  face  than  6  feet,  varying  from  5  feet  8  inches  to  6  feet ; 
and  in  other  cases  they  are  7  feet  9  inches.  The  arcade  which  conducts  the  water  into 
the  reservoir  called  St.  Irenasus,  is  31  feet  high,  its  width  is  the  half  of  this,  and  the  faces 
of  the  piers  are  7  feet  9  inches.  As  the  upper  part,  containing  the  canal,  is  only  6  feet 
thick,  there  is  an  offset  of  6  inches  on  each  face  at  the  impost  of  the  arches.  On  this  off- 
set there  is  a  projection,  or  pilaster,  10  inches  thick,  and  3  feet  wide,  which  acts  as  a 
counter-fort,  to  strengthen  the  sides  of  the  water  channel. 

The  foundations  of  the  piers  having  the  smallest  elevation,  are  sunk  between  three 
and  four  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  between  six  and  eight  feet  for  those  of 
the  greatest  height. 

All  the  different  supports  of  the  aqueduct  are  of  the  same  kind  of  masonry,  formed 
of  small,  rough,  squared  stones,  laid  in  a  thick  bed  of  mortar,  with  the  apparent  faces  of 
reticulated  work.  This  kind  of  masonry  was  bound,  at  every  four  feet  of  its  height,  by 
two  courses  of  "great  bricks,"  each  brick  being  22  inches  square,  and  two  inches  thick. 
The  angles  of  the  piers,  formed  of  small  square  slabs  of  stone,  offered,  in  many  instances, 
an  insufficient  resistance  to  the  lozenge  masses  which  they  terminated,  and  their  displace- 
ment has  been  apparently  the  main  cause  of  the  ruin  of  the  greater  number  of  the  piers, 
for  these  have  been  formed  by  a  sort  of  encasements,  of  the  thicknesses  of  four  feet  of  the 
opus  reticulatum,  without  being  properly  bonded  by  stones  large  enough  at  the  quoins. 
The  arches  are  semi-circular  ;  the  arch  stones  are  slabs  (thick  slates)  of  stone,  three  inches 
thick,  alternating  with  a  "  great  brick  ;"  the  extrados  of  the  arch  is  finished  by  a  row  of 
bricks,  which  forms  a  fillet ;  on  this  fillet  is  laid  a  double  horizontal  row  of  bricks,  which 
runs  through  the  entire  length  of  the  aqueduct,  without,  however,  forming  any  projection. 
It  is  upon  these  bricks,  as  a  pavement,  that  the  water  channel  is  laid,  or  bedded. 

Of  the  arcades  forming  that  part  of  the  aqueduct  called  Langoneau,  only  seven  piers 
remain,  arid  these  of  the  common  reticulated  masonry.  The  valley  between  Soncieu  and 
Chaponost  is  about  200  feet  deep.  Five  ranges  of  arcades,  placed  one  over  the  other,  for 
a  length  of  2400  feet,  conducted  the  water  across  the  valley  ;  the  valley  through  which 
the  river  d'Izeron  flows,  between  Chaponost  and  St.  Foi,  is  nearly  300  feet  deep,  and  was 
crossed  by  a  series  of  arcades  having  eight  ranges  in  height.  The  third  valley,  formed  by 
the  small  hill  of  St.  Foi,  and  that  of  Fourvieres,  had  three  ranges  of  arcades. 

These  prodigious  substructions  must  have  occasioned  an  outlay  so  enormous,  as  under 
almost  any  circumstances  would  have  completely  arrested  the  completion  of  the  underta- 
king ;  and  the  more  so,  as  these  valleys  were  neither  all,  nor  the  greatest  across  which  th* 
10 


38  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

water  had  to  be  conducted.  The  resources  of  the  architects  here  become  conspicuous,  in 
their  substitution  of  leaden  pipes,  forming  syphons,  already  described,  which  were  laid  at 
an  expense  comparatively  trifling,  to  what  must  have  been  incurred  by  following  the  other 
and  more  usual  method. 

In  describing  the  passage  of  the  valley  of  the  Garon,  the  aqueduct  arriving  at  the 
summit  of  the  hill,  was  stated  to  deliver  its  water  into  a  tank,  or  reservoir,  placed  in  a 
square  tower. 

This  reservoir,  fourteen  feet  long  by  four  and  a  half  feet  wide,  is  seven  feet  high  to  the 
summit  ol  its  arch  ;  the  walls  are  four  and  a  half  feet  high  to  the  springing  of  the  arch, 
and  two  feet  three  inches  thick.  The  arch  is  pierced  in  the  centre  by  an  opening  two  feet 
square,  which  serves  as  a  passage  into  the  reservoir.  The  bottom  is  lined  with  a  coat  of 
cement,  six  inches  thick,  with  a  curve  at  the  angles  of  concourse  of  the  sides  and  bottom ; 
there  were  two  ranges  of  iron  rods  about  one  third  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  to  strengthen 
the  walls,  and  probably  also  to  serve  as  a  kind  of  stair  by  which  to  descend  into  the 
reservoir. 

This  syphon  bridge  is  disposed  in  the  same  manner,  and  has  the  same  proportions,  as 
the  other  arcades,  the  width  of  the  arches  being  18  feet,  and  the  height  of  their  opening 
36  feet ;  but  this  part  is  somewhat  different  from  the  others,  from  its  width,  which  is  24 
feet,  and  by  its  piers  apparently  terminating  at  the  impost  or  springing  of  the  arches, 
forming  an  elevation  of  considerable  elegance,  and  a  covered  passage  under  the  bridge. 
The  arcades  pierced  in  the  piers  for  this  road  or  gallery,  are  four  feet  wide,  and  21  feet 
high,  their  arches  being  formed  of  voussoirs  of  thin  stone,  alternating  with  great  bricks  ; 
the  facing  is  of  reticulated  masonry,  and  being  built  with  black  and  grey  pieces,  has  much 
the  appearance  of  a  chess-board.  However,  these  open  ings  having  weakened  too  much  the 
higher  piers,  the  builders  were  under  the  necessity  of  strengthening  some  of  them,  by 
counter-forts  of  the  same  sort  of  masonry.  Two  arcades  in  the  valley  of  Bannau  fell  in 
1757,  from  this  precaution  not  having  been  taken  ;  from  these  piers,  after  their  fall,  it  was 
observed  that  the  arches  were  divided  into  compartments  in  their  depth,  by  voussoirs 
formed  of  a  double  row  of  great  bricks. 

The  quantity  of  water,  according  to  Delorme,  which  was  furnished  by  this  t»queduct 
in  twenty-four  hours,  was  1,323,000  cubic  feet.  This  author,  however,  did  not  appear 
to  have  made  any  corrections  for  the  diminution  of  velocity  on  account  of  friction,  and 
other  circumstances  affecting  the  motion  of  fluids  ;  after  these  ,have  been  made  to  bear 
on  his  calculation,  the  quantity  has  been  estimated  as  not  being  greater  than  about 
172,800  cubic  feet,  or  about  1,209,600  gallons. 

The  receiving  reservoir  for  the  valley  of  Bannau  is  eighteen  feet  long,  and  6  feet  wide. 
It  was  pierced,  according  to  Delorme,  with  twelve  openings,  for  as  many  syphons,  this 


PRELIMINARY     ESSAY.  39 

increase  in  the  number  of  pipes  being  made  on  account  of  the  valley  being  deeper  than 
that  of  the  Garon,  and,  as  he  thinks,  as  the  pressure  increases,  while  the  depth  is 
augmented,  that  the  architects  multiplied  the  number  of  syphons,  to  divide  this  force  by 
diminishing  their  diameter  in  proportion — a  circumstance  which,  if  accurate,  would 
clearly  decide  that  the  difference  between  the  weight  and  the  pressure  of  water,  was 
unknown  to  the  Roman  architect.  The  rest  of  the  syphon  bridges  are  similar  to  that  of 
the  Garon.  There  is  now  no  vestige  of  the  emitting  reservoir  of  St.  Foi.  The  receiving 
reservoir  of  St.  Irenaeus  is  also  much  dilapidated,  and  also  that  of  Soncieu.  Delorme 
conjectured  that  its  side  was  pierced  for  a  smaller  number  of  syphons  than  that  of 
Soncieu  ;  but  these  pipes  were  of  a  greater  diameter  than  those  of  the  others,  as  appears 
by  the  parts  at  present  in  existence  ;  and  Delorme  thinks  that  the  emitting  reservoir  was 
like  the  receiving  tanks,  which  are  seen  near  the  wall  of  the  city  of  Lyons,  and  conducted 
the  water  by  an  aqueduct  to  the  reservoir,  now  called  the  Maison  Angclique,  This 
reservoir  was  also  furnished  with  the  usual  opening.  The  emitting  reservoirs  had  an 
opening  at  a  height  of  four  and  a  half  feet  above  the  level  of  the  pavement,  to  turn,  if 
required,  the  flowing  water  to  the  bottom  of  the  tower,  and  to  facilitate  their  cleanings 
and  reparations. 

The  great  reservoir  of  the  Maison  Angelique,  the  bottom  of  which  is  now  buried 
in  the  ground,  was  supported  by  a  series  of  vaults,  separated  by  partition  walls  two  and 
a  half  feet  thick.  Five  of  these  vaults  are  still  entire.  They  are  semi-circular,  built  of 
small,  rough,  square  stones,  with  courses  of  bricks  in  the  voussoirs,  in  each  ten  and  a  half 
inches,  and  they  appear  to  have  been  laid  without  mortar.  A  fall,  or  step,  of  one  and 
a  half  foot,  arched  to  a  height  of  four  feet,  is  still  seen  in  a  wall  seven  and  a  half  feet 
thick.  The  water  here  descended  by  a  well,  or  tank,  one  and  a  half  foot  square,  which 
joins  the  south  side,  where  it  has  a  thickness  of  more  than  ten  feet. 

Decolonia  (in  his  Histoire  Litteraire  de  la  ville  de  Lyons,)  says,  that  thirty  leaden 
pipes,  of  from  15  to  20  feet  in  length,  marked  by  the  initials,  TI.  CLA.  CAES.  (Tiberius 
Claudius  Caesar,)  were  found  in  this  part.  He  had  no  knowledge  of  the  reservoir 
discovered  by  Delorme,  to  which  it  is  probable  these  pipes  belonged,  and  in  which  they 
were  used  for  distributing  the  water  to  the  buildings  and  gardens  of  the  palace  of  the 
Emperor  Claudius. 

The  aqueduct  of  Metz  is  another  of  the  great  works  of  the  Romans,  though  of  what 
precise  date  seems  uncertain — possibly  of  the  period  when  the  legions  of  Caesar  held 
possession  of  Gaul.  The  water  which  it  conducted  into  the  town  was  taken  from  the 
valley  above  Gorze — distant  about  23  miles — now  called  Les  Bouillons.  The  construc- 
tion of  the  work  was  essentially  similar  to  those  already  described.  It  was  in  its  whole 
length  a  close  conduit  of  masonry,  and  carried  over  valleys  by  lofty  arcades,  no  recourse 
being  had  to  syphons  or  leaden  pipes. 


40  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

Spain,  too,  yet  preserves  some  splendid  aqueducts  of  Roman  origin.  That  at  Se- 
govia— the  most  remarkable — has  an  arcade  of  159  arches,  94  feet  high,  and  extending 
across  a  valley  700  yards  in  width.  This  work  is  ascribed  to  Trajan.* 

Upon  a  level  at  its  origin  with  the  rivulet  it  receives,  and  supported  at  first  by  a 
single  range  of  arches  not  more  than  three  feet  high,  it  proceeds  to  the  summit  of  a 
hill  at  the  other  extremity  of  the  city,  and  gradually  increases  its  height  in  proportion 
to  the  declivity  of  the  ground.  In  its  highest  part  a  bridge  has  been  thrown  across  an 
abyss.  It  has  two  branches  which  form  an  obtuse  angle  with  the  city.  At  the  com- 
mencement of  the  angle  it  becomes  a  grand  object.  Its  two  rows  of  arcades  rise  majes- 
tically above  each  other,  and  the  spectator  is  surprised  at  its  gigantic  height,  and  the 
lightness  of  its  piers.  It  has  stood  1600  years. 

Nor  can  we  pass  by  the  extensive  works  at  Grenada,  though  of  comparatively 
modern  date,  for  supplying,  with  Arabian  magnificence,  the  waters  of  the  various  baths, 
fountains,  and  apartments  of  the  famed  Alhambra.  The  Square  of  Cisterns  encloses 
numerous  reservoirs,  kept  constantly  filled  with  water  by  an  aqueduct  from  a  neighboring 
hill,  distant  two  or  three  miles.  The  largest  of  these  reservoirs  or  cisterns,  is  102  feet  long 
and  56  wide,  enclosed  by  a  wall  six  feet  thick,  and  protected  by  an  arch  forty-seven  and 
a  half  feet  high  in  the  centre.  There  are  two  openings,  or  ventilators,  to  this  cistern, 
three  and  a  half  feet  in  diameter,  and  carried  up  several  feet  above  the  surface,  for  the 
admission  of  air  and  light. 

From  these  cisterns  the  water  was  distributed  as  desired.  The  grand  fountain  in  the 
Court  of  the  Lions  was  thus  fed.  The  fountain  was  in  the  centre  of  this  magnificent 

O 

court.  Twelve  lions  support  on  their  backs  an  alabaster  basin,  richly  decorated,  elevated 
above  which  was  a  smaller  basin.  A  great  volume  of  water  rose  through  pipes  into  the 
upper  basin,  which  fell  into  that  below,  and  was  thence  conducted  through  the  mouth  of 
the  lions,  to  a  black  marble  reservoir,  from  which,  as  a  fountain  head,  the  water  was  distri- 
buted in  marble  channels  to  different  apartments. 

This  palace,  and  its  luxurious  and  expensive  adornments,  date  back  to  the  twelfth 
century. 

Constantinople  had  its  aqueducts,  also,  of  Roman  construction,  by  the  Emperor 
Valens,  in  the  4th,  and  Justinian,  in  the  6th  century,  of  which  the  remains  in  the  valley 
of  Bourgas,  still  exist. 

One  of  our  own  countrymen,  Dr.  Dekay,  in  his  sketches  of  Turkey  in  1831 — 2, 
thus  describes  the  remains  of  these  aqueducts : 

•  Bourgoanne,  Spain,  vol.  i.,  p.  19. 


PRELIMINARY   ESSAY.  41 

Under  the  Greek  emperors,  Constantinople  was  supplied  with  water  by  the  means 
of  aqueducts,  and  large  reservoirs  were  established  in  different  parts  of  the  city.  These 
latter,  however,  have  now  gone  into  disuse,  as  expensive  and  inadequate  for  the  purposes 
intended.  Under  the  present  system,  all  the  water-works  about  Constantinople  are  under 
the  management  of  an  officer,  termed  the  500  naziri,  or  inspector  of  waters.  It  is  his 
business  to  keep  them  in  good  repair,  and  he  is  responsible  for  any  accidents  which  may 
obstruct  or  diminish  the  supply.  As  no  time  is  to  be  lost  to  repair  injuries,  this  officer  is 
clothed  with  great  power,  and  he  compels  every  one  to  assist  in  restoring  the  line  of  com- 
munication. This  resembles  the  corvee  of  old  France  in  some  measure,  but  is  much 
more  oppressive  ;  for  the  500  naziri  fines  most  rigorously  all  who  dwell  in  the  vicinity  of 
any  breach,  or  injury,  unless  they  give  immediate  information  of  the  disaster.  So  impor- 
tant are  these  water-courses  considered,  that  the  sultans  have  always  been  in  the  habit  of 
making  annually  a  formal  visit  of  inspection,  which  is  accompanied  with  much  ceremony, 
and  ordering  such  improvements  and  alterations  as  are  deemed  necessary. 

"  It  is  impossible  to  travel  any  where  in  the  vicinity  of  Constantinople,  without  being 
struck  with  the  great  pains  taken  by  the  Turks  to  treasure  up  every  rill,  or  the  minutest 
trickle  from  the  face  of  the  rocks.  These  are  carefully  collected  in  marble  or  brick  reser- 
voirs, and  the  surplus  is  conveyed  by  pipes  to  the  main  stream.  In  passing  through 
sequestered  dells,  the  traveller  frequently  comes  suddenly  upon  one  of  these  sculptured 
marble  fountains,  which  adds  just  enough  of  ornament  to  embellish  the  rural  scene.  They 
are  frequently  decorated  with  inscriptions,  setting  forth  the  greatness  and  goodness  of 
Providence,  and  inviting  the  weary  traveller  to  make  due  acknowledgement  for  the  same. 
Unlike  our  civilized  ostentation,  the  name  of  the  benevolent  constructor  never  appears 
on  these  sculptured  stones.  The  quaint  Turkish  adage,  which  serves  as  a  rule  of 
conduct,  is  well  exemplified  in  this  as  well  as  in  many  other  instances ;  "  Do  good 
and  throw  it  into  the  sea ;  if  the  fishes  don't  know  it,  God  will." 

"  Among  the  hills  at  various  distances,  from  fifteen  to  twenty  miles  from  the  city,  are 
constructed  large  artificial  reservoirs.  These  are  termed  bendts,  a  word  of  Persian  origin, 
and  are  built  in  the  following  manner  :  advantage  is  taken  of  a  natural  situation,  such 
as  a  narrow  valley  or  gorge  between  two  mountains,  and  a  strong  and  substantial  work 
of  masonry  is  carried  across,  sufficiently  high  to  give  the  water  its  required  level.  Four 
of  these  bendts  were  visited  and  examined,  but  there  are  several  others  which  we  did 
not  see.  A  description  of  one  of  the  largest  will  give  an  idea  of  the  manner  in  which 
they  are  constructed. 

"  A  solid  wall  of  marble  masonry,  eighty  feet  wide,  and  supported  by  two  largs 
buttresses,  rises  to  the  height  of  a  hundred  arid  thirty  feet  from  the  bottom  of  the  valley, 

It  is  four  hundred  feet  long,  and  the  top  is  covered  with  large  marble  slabs  of  dazzling 
11 


42  PREL1MINARYESSAY. 

brilliancy.  On  the  side  next  the  reservoir,  a  substantial  marble  balustrade,  three  feet  in 
height,  gives  a  finish  to  this  Cyclopean  undertaking.  A  tall  marble  tablet  indicates  the 
date  of  its  erection,  or  more  probably  of  its  repair  or  reconstruction.  From  the  date,  1211, 
it  appears  to  have  been  built  about  forty-six  years  ago.  It  is  called  the  Validay  Bendt,  and 
is  said  to  have  been  built  by  the  mother  of  the  reigning  sultan.  It  is  furnished  with  a 
waste  gate,  and,  at  a  short  distance  below,  the  water  from  the  reservoir  is  carried  across 
a  ravine  by  a  short  aqueduct.  About  two  miles  from  this  is  another  bendt,  erected  in 
1163,  which  corresponds  to  the  year  1749.  This  is  also  a  magnificent  work,  although 
inferior  in  size  to  the  preceding.  They  both  supply  the  aqueduct  of  Batchikeui,  which, 
as  has  already  been  stated,  furnishes  the  suburbs  of  Pera  and  Galata  with  water.  Beyond 
Belgrade  are  other  reservoirs  which  will  be  elsewhere  noticed.  These  supply  Constan- 
tinople proper,  with  water. 

"  In  order  to  convey  a  clear  idea  of  the  direction  of  these  various  hydraulic  works,  it 
may  be  advisable  to  follow  each  singly.  Beyond  Belgrade  is  a  large  bendt,  which  sends  its 
waters  into  a  basin  already  partially  supplied  from  another  reservoir.  A  mile  farther  on, 
the  water  is  carried  across  two  aqueducts,  the  larger  of  which  is  known  as  the  aqueduct 
of  Mustapha  III.  From  this  it  is  conveyed  into  the  aqueduct  of  Justinian.  This  is 
twelve  miles  from  Constantinople.  It  consists  of  two  tiers  of  arches,  each  forty-two  feet 
wide.  The  arches  are  four  in  number  ;  the  total  length  of  the  aqueduct,  with  its  abut- 
ments, is  seven  hundred  arid  twenty  feet,  and  its  greatest  height  a  hundred  and  ten  feet. 
A  gallery  pierces  the  square  pillars,  forming  the  first  story  of  arches,  and  allows  a  passage 
through  its  whole  length.  There  are  four  small  arches  at  each  end  of  the  first  story, 
about  twelve  feet  wide.  The  precise  epoch  of  the  construction  of  this  aqueduct  is  not 
known,  although  it  is  commonly  attributed  to  the  Emperor  Justinian  II.  This  aqueduct 
receives  also  water  from  two  others,  the  principal  of  which  is  known  under  the  name  of 
Solyman.  This  is  sixteen  hundred  feet  long,  and  eighty  feet  high,  and  consists  of  two 
stories  of  fifty  arches  each.  It  is  a  Turkish  work.  Another  aqueduct  also  conveys  water 
into  that  of  Justinian,  and  is  generally  supposed  to  be  of  the  age  of  Constantine.  It  is 
three  stories  high  ;  the  lowest  tier  consists  of  thirty-three  arches,  fifteen  feet  wide,  the  second 
of  twelve  arches,  and  the  uppermost  of  four.  It  is  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  length. 
All  these  magnificent  and  costly  structures  are  intended  for  the  supply  of  Constantinople 
alone,  and  we  will  now  trace  the  course  of  the  water.  Leaving  the  aqueduct  of  Justinian, 
it  follows  the  right  bank  of  the  Cydaris,  and  receiving  in  its  course  various  tributary  rivu- 
lets from  the  neighboring  hills,  it  enters  within  the  walls  of  Constantinople  near  the  aygry 
kapoosi,  or  crooked  gate,  whence  it  is  distributed  over  the  city.  It  was  impossible  to 
ascertain  the  quantity  of  water  furnished  throug-h  this  series  of  hydraulic  works ;  but, 
judging  by  comparison  with  that  which  supplies  the  suburbs,  it  cannot  be  less  than  fifteen 
millions  of  gallons  within  twenty-four  hours. 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY.  43 

"  We  will  now  return  to  the  aqueduct  of  Batchikeui,  and  follow  the  direction  of  its 
waters.  These  are  carefully  brought  round  the  heads  of  the  valleys  in  covered  canals, 
in  which  there  are  at  certain  intervals,  sudden  breaks  or  alterations  in  the  level,  which 
answer  the  double  purpose  of  agitating  the  water  in  contact  with  air,  and  of  precipitating 
its  impurities.  It  likewise  affords  fountains  on  the  road  for  the  use  of  cattle  and  weary 
travellers.  When  hills  intervene,  tunnels  are  boldly  driven  through,  at  the  depth  of  fifty, 
eighty,  and  in  some  places  a  hundred  feet.  The  course  of  these  tunnels  may  be  traced  on 
the  road  between  Pera  and  Buyukdery  by  numerous  pits,  which  were  about  two  hundred 
feet  apart.  These  pits  were  convenient  for  giving  air  and  light  beneath,  and  also  afforded 
a  ready  means  of  getting  rid  of  the  excavated  earth  and  rocks.  It  is  possible,  that  at  the 
period  when  these  tunnels  were  made,  the  pits  were  previously  dug,  in  order  to  enable 
them  to  give  the  necessary  direction  and  level  to  the  subterranean  passage.  Branches 
from  this  main  stream  are  continually  thrown  off  to  supply  the  villages,  and  the  palaces 
of  the  sultan  along  the  Bosphorus.  Notwithstanding  all  these  expensive  works,  it  some- 
times happens,  after  long  droughts,  that  the  supply  becomes  scanty  in  the  suburbs  ;  and 
during  my  residence  here,  I  have  known  water  to  be  sold  at  Pera  and  Galata  at  from  two 
to  six  cents  a  pail-ful.  This,  however,  never  occurs  in  the  city  itself,  which  is  abundantly 
supplied  at  all  seasons  of  the  year. 

"  Where  a  valley  of  great  extent  is  to  be  crossed,  the  Turks  have  resorted  to  an 
ingenious  contrivance,  which  I  have  nowhere  seen  clearly  described,  but  which,  from  its 
simplicity  and  value,  merits  a  more  particular  notice.  From  the  want  of  sufficient 
mechanical  skill  to  manufacture  water-pipes  strong  enough  to  bear  the  weight  of  a  large 
column  of  water,  they  adopted  the  following  plan  :  in  the  direction  of  the  proposed 
water-channel,  a  number  of  square  pillars  are  erected  at  certain  short  intervals ;  they 
are  about  five  feet  square,  constructed  of  stone,  and,  slightly  resembling  pyramids,  taper 
to  the  summit.  They  vary  in  height,  according  to  the  necessities  of  the  case,  from  ten  to 
fifty  feet,  and  in  some  instances  are  even  higher. 

"  They  form  a  striking  peculiarity  in  Turkish  scenery,  and  it  was  some  time  before 
the  principle  upon  which  they  were  constructed  was  apparent.  The  water  leaves  the  brow 
of  a  hill,  and  descending  in  earthen  pipes  rises  in  leaden  or  earthen  ones,  up  one  side  of 
this  pillar,  to  its  former  level,  which  must  be,  of  course,  the  summit  of  the  pillar,  or 
sooteray,  as  it  called  by  the  Turks.*  The  water  is  here  discharged  into  a  stone  basin 
as  large  as  the  top  of  the  sooteray,  and  is  discharged  by  another  pipe,  which  descends 
along  the  opposite  side  of  the  pillar,  enters  the  ground,  advances  to  the  next  sooteray, 
which  it  ascends  and  descends  in  the  same  manner  ;  and  in  this  way  the  level  of  the  water 

*  This  word  is  from  the  Turkish  sooteraysoo,  which  means  the  levelling  of  the  water,  and  expresses  very 
well  the  object  of  the  sooteray. 


44  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

may  be  preserved  for  many  miles  over  large  ravines  or  plains,  where  an  aqueduct  would 
be,  from  its  expensiveness,  manifestly  out  of  the  question.  In  the  city  of  Constantinople, 
the  old  ruinous  aqueduct  of  Valens,  which  no  longer  conducts  water  in  the  usual  manner, 
is  converted  into  a  series  of  sooterays,  and  permits  one  to  examine  their  structure  in  detail. 
The  stone  basin  on  the  summit  is  covered  with  an  iron  plate,  to  prevent  the  birds  from 
injuring  the  water.  This  is  connected  by  a  hinge,  and,  upon  lifting  it  up,  the  basin  is 
found  to  be  divided  into  two  parts  by  a  stone  partition.  Several  holes  are  made  in  this 
partition  near  its  upper  edge.  The  water  from  the  ascending  pipe  is  allowed  by  this 
means  to  settle  its  foreign  impurities,  and  the  surface  water,  which  is  of  course  the  most 
pure,  flows  through  these  apertures  into  the  adjoining  compartment,  from  whence  it 
descends,  and  is  carried  to  the  next  sooteray,  where  the  same  process  is  repeated.  A 
number  of  projecting  stones  on  the  sides  facilitate  the  ascent  of  the  person  who  has  charge 
of  these  sooterays,  and  whose  business  it  is  to  remove  the  deposites  from  the  water  in  the 
stone  basins. 

"  This  ingenious  hydraulic  arrangement  seems  to  possess  advantages  which  might 
recommend  its  adoption  elsewhere.  As  the  pressure  is  thus  divided  among  this  series  of 
syphons,  the  necessity  for  having  very  strong  and  costly  pipes  is  obviated.  As  they  are 
from  three  to  five  hundred  yards  apart,  the  cost  is  probably  much  less  than  by  any  plan 
which  could  be  devised,  where,  in  addition  to  the  cost  of  a  canal  or  series  of  pipes,  we 
should  be  compelled  to  raise  it  again,  by  the  expensive  agency  of  steam  or  some  other 
costly  apparatus.  The  frequent  exposure  of  the  water  to  air  and  light  at  the  summit  of 
these  sooterays,  is  another  very  important  advantage  which  cannot  be  too  strongly  insisted 
upon  ;  as  it  is  now  well  known  that  nothing  tends  more  to  purify  water,  than  the  presence 
of  these  two  agents.  The  arrangement,  likewise,  of  the  basins  on  the  top  of  the  pillars, 
is  well  adapted  for  getting  rid  of  much  of  the  matters  deposited  from  turbid  waters. 
Lastly,  to  the  descending  pipe  a  small  cock  is  attached  near  the  ground,  by  which  the 
flocks  and  herds  of  the  adjoining  villages  and  fields,  are  furnished  at  all  times  with  a 
copious  supply  of  water. 

"  On  the  heights  of  Pera  there  is  a  large  reservoir,  200  feet  square,  built  of  the  most 
solid  and  substantial  masonry ;  from  this  reservoir  the  water  is  distributed  through  the 
suburbs  of  Fundukli,  Pera,  Galata,  and  Cassim  Pacha. 

"  After  a  deliberate  survey  of  the  various  hydraulic  contrivances  for  supplying  Con- 
stantinople with  water,  one  is  at  a  loss  to  know  which  to  admire  most,  the  native  good 
sense  which  pointed  out  the  necessity  and  importance  of  furnishing  the  capital  and  its 
suburbs  with  pure  and  wholesome  water,  the  ingenuity  displayed  in  conquering  almost 
invincible  obstacles,  or  that  wise  and  liberal  economy  which  considered  no  expense  too 
enormous,  no  sacrifices  too  great,  in  comparison  with  the  health  and  comfort  of  the  people. 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY.  45 

The  various  water-courses  about  Constantinople  must  exceed  fifty  miles  in  length,  and 
the  expenses  of  the  various  reservoirs  and  aqueducts  could  not  have  been  less  than  fifty 
millions  of  dollars." 

In  addition  to  its  aqueducts  the  ancient  city  used  water  gathered  into  enormous  sub- 
terranean cisterns,  which  still  exist,  and  in  some  instances  are  yet  supplied  with  water. 

In  Gyllius's  Antiquities  of  Constantinople,  the  exploration  of  one  of  these  vast  ancient 
cisterns,  of  which  the  construction  is  ascribed  to  Constantine  the  Great,  is  thus  related : 

"  The  whole  ground  was  built  upon,  and  made  it  less  suspected  that  there  was  a 
cistern  there.  The  people  had  not  any  notion  of  its  existence,  although  they  daily  drew 
their  water  out  of  wells  that  were  sunk  into  it.  I  went  by  chance  into  a  house  from 
which  there  was  a  descent  into  a  cistern,  and  embarked  in  a  little  skiff  on  its  waters. 
The  master  of  the  house  having  lighted  torches,  rowed  us  to  and  fro  between  the  pillars, 
which  lay  very  deep  in  the  water.  He  was  very  intent  upon  catching  fish,  with  which 
the  cistern  abounds,  and  speared  some  of  them  by  the  light  of  the  torches.  A  faint  light 
descends  from  the  mouths  of  the  wells,  and  is  reflected  upon  the  water,  and  here  the  fish 
usually  go  for  air.  This  cistern  is  363  feet  long,  and  182  broad;  the  roof,  arches,  and 
sides  are  all  brick  work  covered  with  terrass,  and  not  in  the  least  impaired  by  time.  The 
roof  is  supported  by  three  hundred  and  thirty-six  marble  pillars,  of  about  forty  and  three 
quarter  feet  high,  with  spaces  of  intercolumniation  of  twelve  feet.  They  stand  lengthwise 
in  twelve  ranges,  and  twenty-eight  in  the  breadth.  Their  capitals  are  partly  finished  after 
the  Corinthian  model  —  part  of  them  are  not  finished. 

"  There  are  abundance  of  wells  falling  into  the  cistern.  When  it  was  filling  in  the 
winter  time,  I  have  seen  a  large  stream  of  water  falling  from  a  great  pipe  with  a  mighty 
noise,  till  the  pillars  have  been  covered  with  water  up  to  the  middle  of  the  capitals." 

Dr.  Walsh,  whose  travels  in  Turkey  are  so  late  as  183-,  visited  this  subterranean 
reservoir,  and  confirms  the  account  of  Gyllius. 

Modern  Rome  is  almost  as  bountifully  supplied  with  water  as  the  ancient  city,  not- 
withstanding the  destruction  or  decay  of  the  old  aqueducts.  But  the  Romans  of  this 
day  are  but  a  handful — perhaps  150,000  —  to  the  populousness  of  the  elder  time;  and 
this  comparatively  small  number  possess,  without  enjoying  as  they  might,  the  advan- 
tage of  overflowing  fountains. 

The  anarchy  of  the  middle  ages,  as  has  been  already  stated,  led  to  the  destruction, 
among  other  works  of  art,  of  the  aqueducts,  and  the  Romans  were  again  reduced  to  wells 
and  springs,  and  the  Tiber.  A  precarious  supply  of  purer  element  had  been  occasionally 
obtained  by  repairing  an  ancient  conduit  —  but  neither  the  resources  of  the  State,  nor  the 
skill  of  individuals,  were  equal  to  the  undertaking  of  a  permanent  reparation.  It  was 
not  until  the  pontificate  of  Nicolas  V.,  that  a  restoration  of  an  ancient  aqueduct  was 
attempted ;  the  Aqua  Appia  was  then  begun,  and  the  work  continued  by  Sextus  IV.,  was 
completed  by  Pius  IV.,  in  1568. 

At  this  period,  the  three  channels  by  which  water  of  the  restored  conduit  arrived  at 
12 


46  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

Rome,  were  conducted  into,  and  distributed  from,  a  reservoir  without  any  architectural 
ornament.  Clement  XII.  began  its  decoration  on  the  side  of  the  modern  Palais  ^Conti, 
from  the  designs  of  Nicolo  Salvi.  This  beautiful  monument  and  masterpiece  of  its 
author,  was  finished  under  Benedict  XIV.,  and  received  the  name  of  Trevi,  from  the 
water  being  conducted  into  its  basin  by  three  channels,  and  also  from  its  position  at  the 
meeting  of  three  streets.  Of  the  three  modern  aqueducts,  the  Aqua  Virgine,  is  accounted 
the  most  salubrious,  and  best  adapted  for  culinary  purposes.  The  pipes  of  this  water  are, 
on  this  account,  sold  at  a  higher  price  than  the  others. 

The  aqueduct  which  furnished,  at  the  time  of  Frontinus,  2,504  quinarice,  (50,000 
cubic  feet,)  now  furnishes  nearly  65,782  cubic  metres  in  twenty-four  hours,  and  this 
quantity  is  distributed  by  seven  principal  conduits  into  thirteen  public,  and  thirty-seven 
common  fountains. 

The  present  Aqua  Felice,  is  part  of  the  water  of  the  ancient  Aqua  Claudia  and 
Aqua  Marcia,  united  with  some  other  springs  collected  under  the  pontificate  of  Sextus 
V.  The  stream  begins  from  the  Campo  Colonna,  situated  to  the  left  of  the  Palestrina 
road,  fourteen  Roman  miles  from  Rome,  and  enters  the  city  through  that  remarkable 
ancient  remain,  called  the  monument  of  the  Aqua  Claudia.  This  water  follows  a  course 
approaching  to  that  of  the  Aqua  Marcia  and  Aqua  Claudia,  but  is  on  a  lower  level  than 
either,  as  its  sources  are  not  so  high  up  as  the  Anio.  All  the  waters  of  which  the  Aqua 
Felice  is  composed,  were  united  by  Urban  VII.  in  one  immense  reservoir,  and  several 
smaller  ones,  whence  they  were  conducted  into  the  conduit  by  an  aperture  named  fistola 
urbana,  formed  in  a  block  of  marble.  According  to  Fontana,  this  stream  is  equal  to  a 
hundred  superficial  «  pouces  d'eau."  The  quantity  of  water  has  been  estimated  at  20,537 
cubic  metres  in  twenty-four  hours,  distributed  in  sixteen  public,  and  eleven  common 
fountains. 

The  fountain  from  which  its  water  is  distributed  to  the  city,  is  adorned  by  a  statue 
of  Moses  striking  the  rock,  and  two  other  figures,  with  four  Ionic  columns  of  granite,  and 
two  Egyptian  lions  of  basalt,  which  formed  part  of  the  ancient  decoration  of  the  Pan- 
theon.    Its  name,  Felice,  is  derived  from  Felice  Peretti,  which  was  that  of  the  family  of 
Sextus  V. 

The  Aqua  Paola. — In  1694,  the  Cardinal  Orsini,  having  proposed  to  the  Papal  gov- 
ernment to  bring  water  from  the  Lake  Bracciano  (anciently  Alsietinus)  to  Rome,  in  the 
ancient  channel  of  the  Aqua  Alsietina,  the  architect,  Paglia,  examined  the  levels,  and 
stated  that  a  sufficient  quantity  of  water  could  be  obtained  and  directed  into  the  channel 
as  projected  by  the  Cardinal.  Permission  was  accordingly  given  to  the  Orsini  family  to 
commence  operations,  on  condition  of  furnishing  about  a  third  part  of  the  water  for  the 
supply  of  one  of  the  new  public  fountains,  and  dividing  with  the  apostolic  chamber,  th« 
revenue  which  would  arise  from  the  disposal  of  the  remainder. 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY.  47 

The  cavalier  Bernini,  having  the  direction  of  the  new  fountain  before  St.  Peter's  and 
wishing  to  ascertain,  by  means  which  appeared  to  him  less  exceptionable  than  those 
employed  by  Abbe  Paglia,  whether  the  quantity  which  had  been  stated,  as  being  at  his 
disposal,  could  be  obtained  or  depended  upon,  committed  the  examination  of  the  levels  to 
his  brother,  who  gave  his  opinion  against  the  practicability  of  obtaining  that  quantity 
which  the  Cardinal  anticipated,  on  account  of  the  small  declivity  of  the  channel  of  the 
aqueduct,  and  the  variations  in  the  levels  of  the  lake  itself.  The  Pope  having  directed 
new  experiments  and  observations  to  be  made,  it  was  found  that  although  the  level  of 
the  lake  was  about  one  and  a  half  palms  above  the  surface  of  the  ancient  reservoir  which 
fed  the  aqueduct,  that  this  additional  head  was  insufficient  to  produce  the  velocity  to  fur- 
nish the  supply  which  was  considered  to  be  desirable.  To  obtain  this  velocity,  a  weir  or 
dam  was  erected  across  the  mouth  of  the  lake  to  preserve  its  waters  at  the  proper  height, 
and  the  usual  means  of  regulating  the  head,  and  disposing  of  the  superfluous  water — by 
sluices — was  resorted  to.  The  aqueduct  now  received  the  name  of  Aqua  Paola,  from  the 
name  of  the  pontiff,  Paul  V.,  in  whose  reign  it  was  brought  to  Rome.  It  is  a  remarkable 
proof  of  the  stability  of  the  old  Roman  works,  that  when,  1000  years  after  the  interrup- 
tion of  this  water  course  by  the  Goths,  water  was  again  let  into  it  by  direction  of  Cardinal 
Orsini,  it  flowed  on  through  a  length  of  ten  miles  without  obstruction  or  leakage. 

The  quantity  of  water  furnished  by  this  aqueduct  is  estimated  at  about  94,184  cubic 
metres  in  twenty-four  hours. 

Thus,  from  the  three  modern  aqueducts  not  less  than  180,500  cubic  metres  of  water 
are  daily  introduced  into  Rome ;  yet  the  want  of  cleanliness  is  remarkable  in  every  street 
and  corner  of  the  city.  The  water  is  not  conveyed  by  pipes  into  the  upper  floors  of  the 
houses,  but  into  a  common  fountain  in  their  courts.  In  order  to  raise  it  to  these  stories,  a 
strong  iron  wire  is  fixed  with  one  end  above  the  fountain,  and  another  above  the  win- 
dow ;  a  bucket  is  made  to  slide  along  this  wire,  having  a  rope  attached  to  it  by  which  it 
is  let  down  into  the  fountain,  and  passed  over  a  pully  above  the  window ;  the  end  of 
the  rope  is  held  by  the  person  in  the  window,  and  when  the  bucket  is  filled,  he  draws  the 
rope,  and  it  slides  along  the  wire  as  a  guide,  until  it  arrives  at  the  window,  where  it  is 
disengaged  by  the  attendant. 

But  although  in  their  houses  the  modem  Romans  profit  little  by  their  abounding 
supply  of  water,  in  their  public  fountains  they  excel  all  other  cities.  We  shall  be  ex- 
cused for  quoting  the  fino  account  of  them,  given  by  Eustace  in  his  classical  tour. 

FOUNTAINS. 

"  From  the  obelisks,  we  pass  to  the  fountains,  because  they  are  generally  employed  in 
the  decoration  of  the  same  squares,  and  sometimes  united  as  in  the  Piazza  Favona  and 
St.  John  a  Lateran,  to  set  each  other  off  to  more  advantage.  Three  only  of  the  ancient 


48  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

aqueducts  now  remain  to  supply  modern  Rome,  and  yet  such  is  the  quantity  they  convey, 
and  so  pure  the  sources  whence  they  derive  it,  that  no  city  can  boast  of  such  a  profusion 
of  clear  and  salubrious  water.  Artificial  fountains  in  general,  are  little  better  than  orna- 
^  mented  pumps,  which  sometimes  squirt  out  a  scanty  thread  of  water,  and  sometimes 
'distil  only  a  few  drops  into  a  muddy  basin.  Those  on  a  greater  scale,  now  and  then 
throw  up  a  column,  or  pour  a  torrent  as  occasion  may  require,  on  certain  state  days,  or 
for  the  amusement  of  some  distinguished  personage,  and  then  subside  till  a  fresh  supply 
enables  them  to  renew  the  exhibition.  Such  are  in  general  the  fountains  and  cascades 
that  adorn  public  walks  and  palace  gardens  ;  and  such  the  so  much  celebrated  water- 
works of  St.  Cloud,  Marli,  and  Versailles — inventions  which  can  be  considered  only  as 
pretty  play -things,  calculated,  like  a  theatrical  decoration  to  act  an  occasional  part,  and 
to  furnish  a  momentary  amusement,  but  too  insignificant  to  be  introduced  into  the  resorts 
of  the  public,  or  into  the  walks  of  princes,  where  we  have  reason  to  expect  solid  magnifi- 
cence, founded  on  nature  and  reality. 

"How  far  the  ancient  Romans  carried  this  species  of  magnificence,  we  may  easily 
judge,  when  we  consider  that  they  had,  undoubtedly,  both  the  taste  and  the  materials 
requisite  for  it.  Their  aqueducts,  which  supplied  them  with  water,  even  to  prodigality, 
still  remain,  striding  across  valleys,  penetrating  mountains,  and  sweeping  over  immense 
plains,  till  they  meet  in  the  heart  of  the  city.  The  edifice  where  they  united,  and  whence 
they  separated  to  water  their  destined  quarters,  was  called  Castellum ;  and  if  we  may 
judge  by  that  which  remains  (the  Porta  Maggiore)  was  generally  a  fabric  of  great  solidity 
and  magnificence  ;  and,  as  appears  from  the  ruins  of  one  discovered  near  the  church  of 
St.  Ignatius,  sometimes  cased  with  marble  and  adorned  with  marble  pillars.  The  number 
of  these  towers  anciently,  as  well  as  of  the  towers  springing  from  them,  must  have  been 
prodigious,  as  Agrippa  alone,  if  we  may  believe  Pliny,  erected  one  hundred  and  thirty  of 
the  former,  and  opened  one  hundred  and  five  of  the  latter,  and  adorned  them  with  three 
hundred  brass  and  marble  statues.  The  modern  Romans,  though  inferior  in  numbers 
and  opulence  to  their  ancestors,  have  shown  equal  taste  and  spirit  in  this  respect,  and 
deserve  a  just  eulogium,  not  only  for  having  procured  an  abundance  of  water,  but  for  the 
splendid  and  truly  imperial  style,  in  which  it  is  poured  forth  for  public  use  in  the  different 
quarters  of  the  city.  Almost  every  square  has  its  fountains,  and  almost  every  fountain 
has  some  peculiarity  in  its  size,  form,  or  situation,  to  attract  attention.  The  three  princi- 
pal, however,  will  suffice  to  give  the  reader  an  idea  of  the  variety  and  of  the  beauty  of 
such  edifices. 

"  The  Fontana  Felice,  in  the  Piazzi  dei  Termini,  on  the  Viminal  Mount  deserves  to 
be  mentioned  first, because  first  erected.  It  is  supplied  by  the  Aqua  Claudia  drawn  from  the 
Alban,  or  rather  Tusculan  hills,  and  conveyed  to  Rome  by  channels  under,  and  aqueducts 
above,  ground,  some  of  which  are  ancient,  and  some  modern.  It  discharges  itself  through 
a  rock,  under  an  Ionic  arcade  built  of  white  stone,  and  faced  with  marbfe.  It  is  adorned 
by  several  gigantic  statues,  the  principal  of  which  represents  Moses  striking  the  rock 
whence  the  water  issues.  On  the  one  side,  Aaron  conducts  the  Israelites — on  the  other, 
Gideon  leads  his  chosen  soldiers  to  the  brink  of  the  torrent  ;  below,  four  lions,  two  of 
marble  and  two  of  basalt,  ornamented  with  hieroglyphics,  hang  over  the  vast  basin,  as 
if  in  haste  to  slake  their  thirst.  The  restoration  of  this  noble  fountain,  and  the  ornaments 
which  grace  it,  are  owing  to  the  spirit  of  Sixtus  Quintus,  and  it  bears  the  name  of  Aqua 
Felice,  and  is  supposed  to  be  now,  as  anciently,  peculiarly  wholesome.  Nearly  opposite, 
but  beyond  the  Tiber  and  on  the  brow  of  the  Janiculum,  rises  an  arcade  supported  by  six 
pillars  of  granite.  Three  torrents  rushing  from  the  summit  of  the  hill,  tumble  through 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY.  49 

the  three  principal  arches  of  this  arcade,  and  fill  an  immense  marble  basin  with  the  purest 
water.  They  then  roll  down  the  side  of  the  mountain,  turn  several  mills  as  they  descend, 
and  supply  numberless  reservoirs  in  the  plain  along  the  sides  of  the  river,  and  even  beyond 
it,  in  the  Campus  Martius.  The  lofty  situation  of  this  fountain,  renders  it  a  conspicuous 
object  to  all  the  opposite  hills.  The  trees  that  line  its  sides,  and  wave  to  the  eye  through 
its  arches,  shed  an  unusual  beauty  around  it ;  and  the  immense  basin  which  it  replenishes, 
gives  it  the  appearance,  riot  of  the  contrivance  of  human  ingenuity,  but  almost  the 
creation  of  enchantment. 

"  In  the  Piazza  di  Trevi,  (in  Triviis)  on  a  rough  and  broken  rock,  rises  a  palace, 
adorned  with  Corinthian  pilasters,  and  supported  in  the  centre  by  Corinthian  pillars.  It 
is  ornamented  with  statues,  representing  the  salubrity  and  fertilizing  powers  of  the 
waters  ;  the  beneficent  Naiad  herself,  holds  a  conspicuous  place  among  them,  and  seems 
to  behold  with  complacency,  the  profusion  of  her  springs.  In  the  middle  of  the  edifice, 
between  the  columns,  under  a  rich  arch,  stands  Neptune  on  his  car,  in  a  majestic  attitude, 
as  if  commanding  the  rocks  to  open  before,  and  the  waters  to  swell  around,  him.  Two  sea- 
horses, conducted  by  two  tritoris,  drag  the  chariot  of  the  god,  and  emerging  from  the 
caverns  of  the  rock,  shake  the  brine  from  their  manes ;  while  the  obedient  waves  burst 
forth  in  torrents  from  all  sides,  roar  down  the  clefts  of  the  crag,  and  form  a  sea  around  its 
base.  In  the  heats  of  summer,  they  overflow  their  usual  limits,  fill  the  whole  marble  con- 
cavity round  the  fountain,  and  rise  to  a  level  with  the  square,  where,  after  sunset,  the 
inhabitants  of  the  neighboring  streets  assemble,  to  enjoy  the  united  freshness  of  the 
waters  and  of  the  evening. 

"  Such  is  the  celebrated  Fontana  di  Trivi,  the  noblest  work  of  the  kind  in  Rome? 
and  probably  the  most  magnificent  fountain  in  the  world.  The  basin  itself  is  of  white 
marble,  and  the  vast  enclosure  around  it  is  flagged  and  lined  with  marble  of  the  same 
color.  A  flight  of  steps  of  white  marble  leads  down  to  this  basin  ;  and  to  prevent  acci- 
dents, a  chain,  supported  by  large  blocks  of  granite,  encloses  the  exterior  border.  I  know 
that  the  architectural  part  of  the  Fontana  di  Trivi,  and  indeed  of  the  Aqua  Paola  and 
Aqua  Felice,  has  been  severely  criticised ;  and  in  candor,  I  must  acknowledge,  that  the 
criticism  is  in  many  respects  well  founded :  for  instance,  it  must  be  allowed  that  the 
elegance  and  lightness  of  the  Corinthian,  or  Ionic,  is  ill  adapted  to  the  simplicity  of  a 
fountain  where  Doric  would  be  more  appropriate,  because  plainer  and  more  solid.  It  will 
be  admitted  also,  that  these  edifices  are  broken  and  subdivided  into  too  many  little  parts ; 
a  process  in  architecture,  as  in  painting  and  in  poetry,  diametrically  opposite  to  greatness 
and  to  sublimity.  In  fine,  it  cannot  be  denied,  that  the  superstructure  is,  in  all  three,  too 
massive  for  the  order,  and  too  much  encumbered  with  coats  of  arms  and  other  supernu- 
merary decorations.  Yet,  notwithstanding  these  faults,  and  they  are  not  inconsiderable, 
while  the  spectator  sits  on  the  marble  border  of  the  basin,  and  contemplates  the  elevation 
of  the  columns,  the  magnitude  of  the  edifices,  the  richness  of  the  materials,  the  workman- 
ship of  the  statues,  and,  above  all,  the  deluge  of  waters  poured  round  him,  the  defects  are 
lost  in  the  beauties,  and  criticism  subsides  in  admiration." 

It  would  swell  this  essay  to  an  unreasonable  length,  if  we  were  to  notice  in  detail 
all  the  remarkable  modern  aqueducts  of  Europe,  and  passing  by,  therefore,  that  of  the 
Prince  of  Biscari,  in  Sicily,  which  served  at  once  as  a  bridge  and  a  conduit,  those  of 
Tarregona,  of  the  plains  of  Anover,  and  of  Almasora,  in  Spain,  that  of  Caserta, 
commenced  in  1753,  by  the  King  of  Naples,  which  boasts  of  a  line  of  arcades  1618  feet  in 
13 


50  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

length,  and  178  high — divided  into  three  stages — with  numerous  and  long  tunnels, 
lighted  and  ventilated  from  the  depth  of  250  feet,  by  conical  shafts  of  50  feet  diameter 
at  bottom,  and  four  feet  at  top,  and  others  of  inferior  note,  we  select  for  more  special 
description  and  detail,  the  chief  water  works  of  England,  and  of  France,  and  the 
magnificent  aqueduct  of  Lisbon. 

London,  like  Rome,  was  already  a  large  and  populous  city,  before  its  supply  of  water 
was  copious  or  convenient. 

In  the  reign  of  Henry  II.,  about  the  middle  of  the  twelfth  century,  the  inhabitants 
relied  on  the  Thames,  or  wells  in  the  city,  and  on  springs  rising  in  the  elevated  grounds, 
north  and  west  of  the  city.  Fitz  Stephens  thus  refers  to  this  last  fact  in  his  "  Description 
of  London  in  the  reign  of  Henry  II."  "  Round  the  city  again,  and  towards  the  north,  arise 
certain  excellent  springs  at  a  small  distance,  whose  waters  are  sweet,  salubrious,  and  clear, 
and  whose 

Runnels  murmur  o'er  the  shining  stones. 

Among  them,  Holywell,  Clerkenwell,  and  St.  Clement's  well,  may  be  esteemed  the 
principal,  as  most  frequented,  both  by  scholars  from  the  schools,  and  youth  from  the  city. 
when  in  a  summer's  evening  they  are  disposed  to  take  an  airing." 

The  antiquarian,  Stowe,  who  published  his  "  Survey  of  London,"  in  the  reign  of 
Queen  Elizabeth,  gives  this  account  of  the  source  and  supply  of  water  to  the  city  : 

"  Anciently,  until  the  Conqueror's  time,  and  for  200  years  afterwards,  the  citie  of  Lon- 
don was  watered  (beside  the  famous  river  of  the  Thames  on  the  south  part,)  with  the  river 
of  Welsj  as  it  was  then  called,  on  the  west ;  which  water  is  called  Wallbrooke,  running 
through  the  midst  of  the  citie  into  the  river  Thames,  serving  the  heart  thereof:  with  an- 
other water  or  bourne  running  through  Langbourne  Ward.  In  the  west  was  another  great 
water  called  Oldborne.  Then  there  were  three  principal  fountains,  or  wells  in  the  other 
suburbs;  Holywell,  Clement's  well,  and  Clerke's  well.  *  *  *  Besides  which,  they  had 
in  every  gate  and  lane  of  the  citie,  divers  faire  wells  and  fresh  springs — and  after  this 
manner  was  this  citie  then  served  with  sweet  fresh  waters  ;  which  being  since  decayed, 
other  means  have  been  sought  to  supply  the  want.  ***** 

"  The  first  cistern,  castellated  with  stone  in  the  citie  of  London,  was  called  the  great 
conduit  in  Westcheap,  which  was  begun  to  be  builded  in  the  year  1235."* 

The  water  for  this  cistern  was  derived  from  Paddington,  and  ran  a  distance  of  1100 
rods,  or  about  three  and  three  quarter  miles,  through  leaden  pipes,  this  being  the  first 
record  of  such  a  mode  of  distribution.  This  not  extensive  work  occupied  fifty  years  in 
the  construction ! 

Another  supply  was  soon  after  obtained  from  Tyburn,  which  was  in  like  manner 
distributed  by  a  leaden  pipe  of  six  inches  diameter.  Those  living  near  the  Thames,  used 

*  Hydraulia. 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY.  5} 

its  water,  "  fetching  it,"  says  Stowe,  "  by  many  lanes  that  led  to  the  water  side  in  divers 
wards  of  the  city." 

This  right  of  passage-way  was  finally  converted  into  a  source  of  revenue  by  the 
owners  of  the  soil,  who  exacted  a  duty  from  those  who  passed  to  and  from  the  river. 

As  the  city  increased,  new  schemes  were  constantly  resorted  to,  and  new  sources  of 
supply  brought  into  use.  The  Paddington  springs,  and  those  near  Islington,  were 
trained  through  pipes  into  the  city.  At  subsequent  periods,  springs  at  Hackney,  Hamp- 
stead  Heath,  Marylebone,  and  Muswell  Hill,  were  resorted  to.  An  act  of  Parliament,  in 
1544,  invested  the  mayor  and  commonalty  of  the  city  of  London,  with  ample  power  "  to 
enter  into  the  grounds  and  possessions  of  the  king,  as  well  as  every  other  person  and 
persons,  bodies  politic  and  corporate,  where  they  shall  find  or  know  any  such  springs  to 
be,  or  may  be  found,  (so  that  it  be  not  under  their  houses,  gardens,  orchards,  or  places 
enclosed  with  stone,  brick,  or  mud  walls,)  and  there  to  dig  pits,  trenches,  and  ditches,  to 
erect  heads,  lay  pipes,  make  vaults,  and  do  all  and  every  such  thing,  in  the  same  place 
and  grounds,  which  shall  be  meet,  proper  and  necessary,  only  for  the  conveyance  of  the  said 
water  and  springs  to  the  city,  and  the  suburbs  of  the  same  ;  and  also  to  have  free  ingress, 
egress,  and  regress  in  and  to  all  such  places  where  such  heads,  pipes,  or  vaults  shall  be 
erected,  laid,  or  made  ;  to  view  and  see  from  time  to  time  said  heads,  pipes,  suspirats, 
and  vaults,  and  them  to  amend,  repair,  translate,  and  do  all  things  necessary  and  con- 
venient, as  well  for  the  finding  of  new  springs,  as  for  the  conveyance  of  any  water  or 
springs  now  found,  or  hereafter  to  be  found,  to  the  city  and  suburbs  aforesaid,  without 
interruption,  let,  or  impediment,  of  the  owners  of  the  ground,  their  lessees,  assigns,  or 
ministers,  or  any  other  person." 

All  ground,  however,  needed  for  the  use  of  these  conduits,  or  aqueducts,  was,  by  the 
same  act,  to  be  appraised  by  three  or  four  indifferent  persons,  appointed  by  the  Lord 
Chancellor,  and  to  be  paid  for  within  one  month  after  possession  was  taken.  A  special 
reservation,  moreover,  was  made  of  the  spring  at  the  foot  of  Hampstead  Hill,  which  was 
used  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Hampstead. 

Slow  was  the  progress  of  this  Hampstead  work,  for  in  1590  it  was  still  unfinished. 
It  was,  however,  finally  accomplished ;  a  succession  of  reservoirs  at  different  levels  was 
constructed,  each  communicating  with  the  other,  and  through  two  mains  of  seven  inch 
bore,  the  neighborhood  of  St.  Giles  was  supplied. 

Originally  these  works  belonged  to  the  city  of  London,  but  in  1692  they  were 
transferred  to  a  company  incorporated  by  the  name  of  the  Hampstead  Water  Co.,  which 
now  furnish  a  daily  average  of  150  gallons  of  water  each  to  about  2500  houses  on  the 
Hampstead  Road,  Kentish-town  and  Camden-town — all  suburbs  of  the  city. 


52  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

Lambe's  Conduit,  was  constructed  at  his  own  cost,  by  a  gentleman  of  the  name  of 
Lambe,  who  belonged  to  the  chapel  royal  of  Henry  VIIL,  and  who  thus  conferred 
great  advantage  on  the  populous  neighborhood  of  Snow  Hill.  Numerous  other  conduits 
were  established,  from  different  spring  heads,  and  at  different  times.  These  conduits  were 
for  the  most  part  small,  circular  buildings,  with  a  spacious  basin  within,  into  which 
flowed  the  water  through  leaden  pipes,  from  the  source,  and  thence  was  carried  by 
watermen,  who  made  it  a  business,  or  by  the  servants  of  the  neighboring  houses ;  the 
vessels  in  which  water  was  carried  about  were  called  tankards,  holding  about  three 
gallons,  and  resembling  in  shape  the  cans  used  by  milk-sellers. 

All  the  conduits  were  under  the  special  supervision  of  the  city  authorities,  whose 
animal  visit  to  inspect  their  condition  was  quite  a  festival ;  the  aldermen  proceeding  on 
horseback,  and  having  the  diversion  beforehand,  of  hunting  the  hare — the  ladies  following 
in  wagons,  to  partake  in  the  sport — and  all  assembling  afterwards  in  the  true  spirit  of 
corporation  enjoyments,  at  a  good  dinner.* 

Like  the  Arabian  fountains  in  the  Alhambra,  too,  these  conduits  were  made  to  pro- 
mote moral  instruction,  by  short  sentences  inscribed  on  them.  We  annex  one  or  two 
specimens : 

Upon  the  Conduit  in  Grateous  (Gracechurch)  Street. 

"  Let  money  be  a  slave  to  thee, 

Yet  keep  his  service  if  you  can  ; 
For  if  thy  purse  no  money  have, 
Thy  person  is  but  half  a  man." 

On  that  in  Cornwall  (Cornhill). 

"Bread,  earned  with  honest,  lab'ring  hands, 
Tastes  better  than  fruite  of  ill-gotte  lands." 

"  A  man  without  mercy,  of  mercy  shall  misse, 
And  he  shall  have  mercy,  that  merciful  is." 

On  that  in  Cheapside. 

"  Life  is  a  debt  which  at  that  day, 
The  poorest  hath  enough  to  pay." 

The  whole  supply  of  these  conduits  was  soon  found  insufficient ;  and,  moreover, 
they  furnished,  not  any  of  them,  water  within  the  houses.  The  desire  of  this  conve- 
nience, and  of  a  more  abundant  supply,  led  in  1581,  the  23d  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  to  a 
grant  by  the  Lord  Mayor  and  Commonalty,  of  a  lease  for  500  years,  to  a  Dutchman 
named  Peter  Morice,  who  undertook,  by  machinery  constructed  under  the  first  arch  of 
London  Bridge,  to  force  water  above  its  level,  into  a  reservoir  that  should  distribute  it  into 
the  upper  parts  of  the  adjoining  houses.  This  was  the  origin  of  the  London  Bridge  Water 

*  Stowe ;  Survey  of  London. 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY.  53 

Works,  which  for  centuries  afterwards  furnished  the  chief  supply  of  the  city.  The 
Dutchman  succeeded  so  well  with  his  first  wheel — for  it  was  nothing  else  than  a  water 
wheel,  driven  by  the  tide  and  acting  upon  a  series  of  forcing  pumps — that  two  years 
afterwards,  a  similar  lease  of  500  years  was  granted  to  him  for  the  second  arch. 

In  the  Philosophical  Transactions,  for  the  year  1731,  Mr.  Beighton,  an  engineer,  gives 
a  detailed  description  of  the  London  Bridge  Water  Works,  which,  though  increased  in 
extent  and  number  of  wheels,  preserved  the  original  design  of  Morice.  There  were  then 
three  water  wheels,  each  operating  upon  16  pumps.  The  wheels  and  machinery  were 
fixed  in  a  strong  frame  of  oak,  that  rose  and  fell  with  the  tide,  which,  whether  ebbing  or 
flowing,  imparted  motion  to  the  wheels.  The  whole  yield  of  all  the  pumps  was  1954 
hogsheads  per  hour.* 

The  lease  and  management  of  these  works,  continued  in  Morice's  family  till  1701, 
when,  finding  the  profits  diminished  by  the  competition  of  the  New  River  Company r,  the 
proprietor  sold  out  for  £38,000,  to  one  Soames,  citizen  and  goldsmith  of  London,  who 
made  a  joint  stock  of  the  concern,  and  obtained  from  the  corporation  the  lease  of  another 
arch.  Subsequently  the  use  of  two  more  arches  was  granted  to  the  company,  and  thus 
enlarged,  the  works  were  vigorously  carried  on — a  considerable  portion  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  city,  both  experiencing  and  acknowledging  their  utility.  The  revenue,  however, 
was  not  large,  as  the  distribution  had  originally  been  made  through  wooden  pipes,  which 
were  found  incapable  of  sustaining  the  pressure  necessary  for  conveying  water  to  the 
upper  stories  of  lofty  houses.  The  disadvantage  under  which  this  company  labored,  in 
competition  with  the  New  River  Company — whose  distribution  was  through  iron  pipes — 
still  further  diminished  the  returns.  The  company,  therefore,  dragged  feebly  on,  till  the 
building  of  the  New  London  Bridge,  in  1822,  entirely  annihilated  their  works. 

The  region  they  supplied  is  now  furnished  by  the  New  River  and  the  East  London 
Water  Works. 

By  a  return  made  to  Parliament  in  1821,  the  London  Bridge  Company,  just  previous 
to  the  final  destruction  of  their  works,  supplied  10,417  houses  with  26,322,705  hogsheads 
per  annum,  at  a  rental  of  £12,266 — about  $61,000. 

The  New  River  Company  purchased  all  their  rights  and  leases  for  an  annuity  of 
£3750,  to  continue  200  years. 

The  New  River  was  the  work  of  one  public  spirited  individual.  "  Master  Hugh  Myd- 
delton,  citizen  and  goldsmith  of  London,"  in  March,  1609,  after  having  in  vain  urged  the 
corporation  to  the  enterprise,  obtained  from  them  a  transfer  of  the  right  conferred  upon 
them  by  an  act  of  Parliament,  to  bring  a  stream  of  pure  water  into  the  city  from  the 
springs  of  Amwell  and  Chadwell,  in  Hertfordshire.  He  immediately  commenced  the 

*  A  hoghshead  is  equal  to  63  gallons.— [Ep.J 

14 


54  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

work,  and,  by  the  aid  of  a  loan  from  King  James  L,  who  stipulated  that  one  rnoiety  of  the 
property  should  be  conveyed  to  him  for  security,  and  triumphing  over  many  obstacles  from 
landholders,  through  whose  possessions  the  river  was  to  pass,  and  the  greater  obstacles 
arising  from  deficient  skill  in  engineering,  he  accomplished  it  in  five  years  ;  and  on  the 
29th  September,  1613,  the  water  entered  the  reservoir  now  known  as  the  New  River 
Head,  in  the  parish  of  Clerkenwell. 

The  execution  of  such  an  enterprise  in  that  age  was  not  only  arduous,  but  deemed 
wonderful.  Stowe  thus  alludes  to  some  of  its  difficulties  :  "  the  depth  of  the  trenches  in 
some  places  descended  full  thirty  feet,  if  not  more,  whereas  in  other  places  it  required  a 
sprightful  arte  again  to  mount  over  a  valley  in  a  trough  between  a  couple  of  hills — 
and  the  trough  all  the  while  borne  up  by  wooden  arches,  some  of  them  fixed  in  the 
ground  very  deep  and  rising  in  height  above  20  feet." 

One  of  these  troughs,  or  wooden  aqueducts,  near  Bush  Hill,  was  660  feet  long,  and 
in  width  and  depth,  five  feet,  and  lined  with  lead.  Another  similar  trough  of  462  feet, 
17  feet  high,  conducted  the  water  over  a  valley  near  Islington,  and  was  called  the  boarded 
river.  Owing  to  leakage,  decay,  and  constant  repairs,  incident  to  such  structures,  they 
have  been  superseded  by  artificial  mounds  of  earth  and  clay,  preserving  the  natural  flow 
and  level  of  the  river. 

The  old  Chronicler,  Stowe,  thus  relates  the  rejoicings,  on  the  occasion  of  first  letting 
the  water  of  the  New  River  into  the  cisterns  or  reservoirs  prepared  for  it. 

"  Being  brought  to  the  intended  cistern,  but  not,  as  yet,  the  water  admitted  entrance 
thereinto ;  on  Michaelmas  day,  anno.  1613,  being  the  day  when  Sir  Thos.  Myddelton 
Knt.  (brother  of  Sir  Hugh)  was  elected  Lord  Maior  of  London,  for  the  year  ensuing ;  in 
the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  Sir  Wm.  Swinnerton,  Knt.,  and  Lord  Maior  of  London, 
accompanied  with  said  Sir  Thomas,  Sir  H.  Montague,  Knt.,  the  Recorder  of  London,  and 
many  of  the  worthy  Aldermen  rode  to  see  the  cistern  and  the  first  issuing  of  the  river 
thereinto,  which  was  performed  in  this  manner. 

"  A  troop  of  laborers  to  the  number  of  sixty  or  more,  well  apparallelled,  and  wearing 
green  Monmouth  caps  all  alike,  carried  spades,  shovels,  pick-axes,  and  such  like  instru- 
ments of  laborious  employments,  marching  after  drums  twice  or  thrice  about  the  cisterns, 
presented  themselves  before  the  mount,  where  the  Lord  Maior  and  worthy  company  stood 
to  behold  them,  and  one  man  in  behalf  of  all  the  rest,  delivered  a  speech  in  verse,  narra- 
ting the  progress  of  the  work.  It  thus  concluded  : 

At  the  Opening  of  the  Sluice : 

"  Now  for  the  fruits  then,  flow  forth  precious  spring, 
So  long  and  dearly  sought  for — and  now  bring 
Comfort  to  all  that  love  thee  ;  loudly  sing, 
And  with  thy  crystal  murmurs,  strook  together, 
Bid  all  thy  true  well-wishers  welcome  hither." 

At  which  words,  the  flood-gates  flew  open,  and  the  stream  ran  gallantly  into  the 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY.  55 

cistern ;   drums  and  trumpets  sounding  in  triumphant  manner ;   and  a  brave  peal  of 
chambers  gave  a  full  issue  to  the  intended  entertainment." 

The  accomplishment  of  this  noble  and  disinterested  enterprise,  has  justly  immor- 
talized the  name  of  Hugh  Myddelton.  The  Goldsmith's  Company,  of  which  craft  he 
was,  has  his  portrait  among  the  decorations  of  their  Hall,  and  in  the  year  1800,  Robert 
Mylue,  Esq.,  the  engineer  of  the  Company  who  own  the  river  which  Myddelton  lias 
taught  to  pour  its  salubrious  stream  into  the  heart  of  London,  erected  on  an  islet  in  the 
basin  at  Amwell,  a  monument  to  his  memory,  one  side  of  which  bears  this  inscription  : 

SACRED  TO  THE  MEMORY 

OF  SIR  HUGH  MYDDELTON,  BARONET, 

WHOSE    SUCCESSFUL    CARE, 

AIDED  BY  THE  PATRONAGE  OF  HIS  KING, 
CONVEYED  THIS  STREAM  TO  LONDON: 

AN  IMMORTAL  WORK, 
SINCE  MEN  CANNOT  MORE  NEARLY 

IMITATE  THE  DEITY, 
THAN  IN  BESTOWING  HEALTH. 

The  documents  connected  with  the  cost  of  this  most  useful  work,  were  destroyed  by 
fire ;  but,  from  conjectural  estimates,  it  is  calculated  at  between  one  and  two  hundred 
thousand  pounds. 

The  New  River  Company  was  incorporated  under  James  L,  in  1619,  and  Sir  Hugh 
Myddelton,  was  appointed  Governor. 

For  the  purpose  of  avoiding  hills  and  valleys,  the  New  River  has  a  meandering 
course,  arid  hence  the  various  windings  render  its  length  considerable,  although  the  springs 
at  its  source  if  measured  in  a  direct  line,  are  distant  only  about  twenty  miles  from  Lon- 
don. The  line  of  the  river  is  very  nearly  thirty-four  miles.  More  than  one  hundred 
and  sixty  bridges  cross  it- — some  of  brick,  some  of  iron,  and  some  of  wood.  There  are 
about  sixty  culverts  that  pass  beneath  its  bed  the  various  brooks  and  rivulets  which 
it  traverses  in  its  course.  The  descent  is  about  three  inches  to  the  mile.  Both  its  depth 
and  width  vary — the  former  seldom  exceeding  five  feet,  the  latter  averaging  eighteen 
feet. 

The  springs  which  originally  supplied  this  river,  were,  as  has  been  before  men- 
tioned, in  the  villages  of  Amwell  and  Chadwell,  in  Hertfordshire.  But  these  were 
found  unequal  to  the  increasing  demand,  and  recourse  was  had  to  the  river  Lea,  which 
runs  in  a  copious  stream  near  the  new  river. 

An  act  of  Parliament  in  1738,  authorised  this  use  of  certain  portions  of  the  waters 


50  PREL1MINARYESSAY. 

of  the  Lea,  on  condition  of  a  present  sum  paid  down,  and  a  perpetual  annuity,  for  the 
•  improvement  of  the  navigation  of  that  river. 

The  quantity  of  water  to  be  abstracted  from  the  Lea,  was  regulated  by  a  balance 
engine  of  which  the  channel  was  14  feet  long,  6  broad  and  2  deep. 

When  the  reservoirs  at  New  River  Head,  at  Clerkenwell,  are  full,  they  stand  at  a  level 
of  eighty-four  arid  a  half  feet  above  high  water  in  the  Thames  ;  which,  however,  only 
enabled  the  Company  to  fill  the  cisterns  in  the  basement  stories  of  the  houses  they  sup- 
plied. Hence,  in  1810,  resort  was  had  to  steam  engines  to  throw  the  water  up,  and  then 
a  head  was  thus  obtained  144  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Thames,  and  high  enough  for 
the  loftiest  houses.  Another  consequence  of  employing  the  steam  engine,  was  the  repla- 
cing the  wooden  tubes  through  which  the  water  was  first  conveyed,  by  iron  pipes.  At 
one  time  this  company  had  400  miles  laid  down  of  wooden  tubes,  of  which  about  twenty 
miles,  on  an  average,  required  to  be  renewed  every  year,  thus  causing  the  whole  to  be 
renewed  every  20  years.  This  was  a  monstrous  annual  drain,  besides  the  public  incon- 
venience of  constantly  breaking  up  the  great  thoroughfares  to  replace  these  tubes.  The 
smallness  of  the  bores,  moreover,  of  the  tubes,  seldom  exceeding  eight  inches,  required 
a  great  multiplication  of  trains  to  transmit  the  needful  supply  of  water.  In  1810,  nine 
trains  were  laid  side  by  side  in  one  street. 

In  the  course  of  the  next  ten  years,  all  the  wooden  tubes  were  replaced  by  iron,  at  a 
cost  of  one  and  a  half  million  dollars. 

In  addition  to  the  supply  from  the  New  River,  this  company,  in  fulfilment  of  their 
contract  with  the  London  Bridge  Water  Works  Company,  have  a  steam  engine  of  100 
horse  power  on  the  banks  of  the  Thames,  between  Blackfriars  and  Southwark  iron 
bridge,  which,  through  a  main  33  inches  in  diameter,  extending  into  the  river,  can  pump 
up  5000  hogsheads  per  hour ;  so  as  in  any  contingency  to  ensure  a  supply  to  those  families 
deriving  water  from  the  Bridge  Company.  This  engine,  however,  though  always  ready 
for  use,  is  not  used. 

The  present  capital  of  the  New  River  Company,  in  amount  actually  expended, 
is  about  £1,250,000,  or  six  and  a  quarter  millions  of  dollars. 

The  Chelsea  Water  Works  were  next  established,  an4  by  act  of  Parliament  in 
1723,  the  Company  was  incorporated.  The  works  are  situated  at  the'  north-east  part  of 
Chelsea  reach,  on  the  banks  of  the  Thames,  whence  all  the  water  is  derived.  It  is  now 
pumped  up  by  two  steam  engines  into  the  reservoir,  whence,  after  passing  through  a 
filtering  bed,  occupying  nearly  an  acre,  and  filled  with  gravel  and  sand,  and  capable  of 
clarifying  daily,  2,240,000  gallons,  it  is  dispensed  to  the  consumers. 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY.  57 

This  company  distributes  daily  over  2,000,000  gallons,  to  about  13,000  houses,  and 
can  raise  it  128  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Thames. 

The  cost  of  this  work,  with  its  improved  filtering  system,  was  about  £70,000,  or 
$350,000. 

The  West  Middlesex  Works,  after  the  lapse  of  nearly  a  century  since  the  erection  of 
the  Chelsea  Works,  were  completed  in  1811.  They  are  situated  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
Thames,  near  Hammersmith,  and  about  nine  and  a  half  miles  from  London  Bridge.  The 
whole  water  is  procured  from  the  river  by  conduit  pipes  of  36  inches  diameter,  extending 
into  the  channel  of  the  river.  It  is  pumped  up  by  three  steam  engines,  one  of  105  horse, 
the  other  two  of  70  horse  power  each,  into  two  capacious  reservoirs — one  at  Kensington, 
122  feet  above  the  low  water  of  the  Thames,  the  other  at  Barrow  Hill,  188  feet  above  the 
same  level.  The  Kensington  reservoir  is  309  feet  long,  123  wide,  and  20  feet  deep.  The 
Barrow  Hill  reservoir  will  contain  88,000  hogsheads.  This  lofty  receptacle,  with  its  mains 
and  appendages,  cost  $300,000,  and  supplies  the  houses  around  Regent's  Park. 

The  utmost  distance  to  which  the  water  is  conveyed  from  Hammersmith  is  about  10 
miles ;  the  number  of  houses  supplied  exceeds  15,000,  with  an  average  daily  quantity  of 
150  gallons  of  water. 

The  cost  of  these  works  exceeds  two  and  a  half  million  of  dollars. 

The  Grand  Junction  Water  Company  was  authorised  by  act  of  Parliament,  in 
1798,  but  was  not  undertaken  until  1811,  when  a  subsidiary  act  having  been  passed,  in- 
corporating separately  from  the  Grand  Junction  Canal  Company,  the  persons  who  were 
to  construct  the  water  works,  the  scheme,  amid  many  difficulties,  of  which  the  chief  was 
want  of  money,  was  carried  out,  and  a  sum  of  £312,000  was  expended  therein. 

At  first  the  supply  of  water  was  derived  from  the  Grand  Junction  Canal,  which  was 
fed  from  the  rivers  Colne  and  Brent,  and  from  a  large  reservoir  of  nearly  100  acres,  filled 
by  the  various  streams  of  the  vale  of  Ruislip,  in  the  north-western  part  of  Middlesex. 
The  quality  of  this  supply  was  complained  of,  and,  moreover,  as  the  sphere  of  operations 
of  the  company  was  extended,  the  quantity  abstracted  from  the  canal  became  a  source  of 
inconvenience  to  its  trade.  An  effort  was  made  to  substitute  the  waters  of  the  Regent's 
Canal  for  those  of  the  Grand  Junction,  but  the  quantity  was  quite  insufficient,  and  there- 
fore the  unfailing  Thames  was  resorted  to,  and  from  its  exuberant  bosom  has  been  drawn 
ever  since  1820,  the  whole  supply  of  these  works. 

Their  steam  engines,  two  of  100  horse  power  each,  are  erected  at  Chelsea,  between 
the  Royal  Hospital  and  the  Chelsea  Water  Works.  From  mains  laid  into  the  channel- 
way  of  the  river,  they  pump  up  water  into  three  spacious  basins,  at  Paddington,  each  of 
different  dimensions  and  elevations.  The  north  reservoir,  containing  153,465  hogsheads 
of  water,  is  91  feet  10  inches  above  high  water  mark  of  the  Thames.  The  south  has  a 
like  relative  altitude  of  85  feet  10  inches,  and  will  hold  139,921  hogsheads,  while  the 
15 


53  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

engine  reservoir  is  only  elevated  70  feet  10  inches,  and  holds  65,063  hogsheads.  The  water 
from  the  higher,  can  be  let  into  the  lower  reservoirs.  The  water  settles  in  these  reservoirs, 
'  and,  having  deposited  its  sediment,  passes  off  into  the  mains.  3,000,000  gallons  are  daily 
supplied  to  about  8000  houses  by  this  company,  of  which  two-thirds  are  delivered  at  heights 
varying  from  90  to  110  feet,  and  the  remaining  third  at  from  110  to  150  feet  above  high 
water  in  the  Thames.  Of  course,  to  effect  this,  resort  is  had  to  a  steam  engine,  which 
elevates  the  water  61  feet  2  inches  above  that  in  the  south  reservoir. 

The  East  London  Company,  incorporated  in  1807,  succeeded  to  the  old  Shadwell 
Works,  which  used  to  supply  the  district  north  of  the  Thames,  and  east  of  the  city.  The 
capital  at  first  deemed  necessary  was  £100,000.  Yet,  within  four  years,  nearly  four  times 
that  amount  was  expended — a  fact  more  or  less  true  of  each  of  the  other  companies — an'd 
upon  which  Matthews,  in  his  Hydraulia,  thus  remarks  :  "  whether  it  be  an  insurmount- 
able difficulty  to  form  a  statement,  which  in  the  first  instance  shall  approximate  to  the 
real  cost  of  a  great  undertaking,  is  a  problem  that  yet  remains  to  be  solved." 

The  water  for  this  company  was  drawn  from  the  river  Lea.  Four  reservoirs  were 
constructed  on  its  banks,  two  on  the  east  side,  about  10  feet  deep,  so  that  their  bottoms 
were  on  a  level  with  the  bed  of  the  river,  two  on  the  west  side  sunk  5£  feet  below  the 
bed,  and  therefore  15  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  water  at  medium  tide.  The  water 
flows  into  these  reservoirs  from  the  Lea,  through  eight  channels,  averaging  7  feet  in  width, 
but  differing  in  depth,  two  being  4.6  feet  deep,  three  4  feet,  and  three  3.6  feet.  An  aque- 
duct under  the  river  connects  the  reservoirs. 

In  1829,  desiring  to  increase  their  supply  of  water,  the  company  obtained  an  act  of 
Parliament,  granting  them  authority  to  draw  water  from  Lea  Bridge  Mills,  and  to  add 
£120,000  to  their  capital. 

The  water  supplied  by  these  various  works,  is  conveyed  to  the  height  of  seventy  feet 
by  steam  engines. 

About  45,000  houses  are  supplied  with  170,000  barrels  daily  by  this  company, 
which  has  laid  down  between  2  and  300  miles  of  iron  pipes,  some  of  which  cost  7 
guineas  per  yard,  or  21  guineas,  equal  to  $105,  for  a  length  of  9  feet.  The  pipes  vary 
from  36  inches  to  6  inches,  but  are  mostly  of  large  calibre. 

The  greatest  distance  to  which  the  works  extend,  is  three  miles,  and  although  the 
pressure  at  the  engines  is  estimated  at  120  feet,  yet  the  resistance  from  friction  usually  pre- 
vents the  water  from  ascending  higher  than  60  or  70  feet.  The  expenditures  of  this  com- 
pany have  been  about  half  a  million  pounds. 

The  south  side  of  the  Thames  is  supplied  by  two  companies,  the  Southwark  and 
the  Lambeth,  both  deriving  their  supply  of  water  from  the  river,  pumping  it  up  by  steam 
power,  and  distributing  it  through  iron  pipes. 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 


The  Southwark  Company  supplies  about  7,000  houses  daily  with  1,500,000  gallons 
of  water,  on  a  capital  invested  of  £66,400. 

The  Lambeth  Company,  whose  works  are  situated  in  the  Belvidere  Road,  a  short 
distance  from  Waterloo  Bridge,  supplies  some  16,000  houses  with  1,500,000  gallons. 
This  company  has  incurred  considerable  expense,  by  constructing  reservoirs  on  Brixton 
Hill,  one  at  an  elevation  of  150  feet  above  tide — and  two  others  at  different  and  lower  ele- 
vations, one  of  which  was  &  filter er,  and  transmitted  the  water  to  the  other  much  purified. 

One  other  enterprise  only  remains  to  be  noticed — The  South  London  Water  Works, 
for  which  a  charter  was  obtained  in  1805.  The  principal  establishment  is  on  Kenning- 
ton  Common,  near  Vauxhall,  and,  like  the  other  works,  it  derives  its  supply  from  the 
Thames,  and  raises  and  distributes  it  through  iron  pipes,  by  steam  power.  The  main  of 
this  company  was,  in  1832,  laid  into  the  Thames,  of  four  feet  diameter,  the  largest  iron 
pipe  any  where  employed  probably  in  water-works.  The  water  flows  through  this 
main  into  a  reservoir  in  Kennington  Lane,  from  which  it  percolates  through  a  filtering 
bank,  composed  of  layers  of  coarse  and  fine  gravel  and  sand,  prior  to  its  entering  into 
another  reservoir,  where  it  also  remains  some  time,  before  it  is  passed  into  the  well  of  the 
distributing  steam  engine. 

The  supply  of  this  company  extends  to  12,000  houses,  and  exceeds  5,000,000 
gallons  daily. 

To  complete  this  view  of  the  works,  which  supply  London  and  its  suburbs,  con- 
taining probably  nearly  1,200,000  inhabitants,  we  annex,  in  a  tabular  form,  extracts  from  a 
more  extended  return,  made  by  these  companies  in  1834,  to  Parliament.  It  exhibits  the 
number  of  houses  supplied,  the  average  quantity  to  each,  the  aggregate  of  the  whole  sup- 
ply of  every  company,  and  all  the  companies,  the  level  at  which  it  is  furnished,  and 
the  average  cost  to  the  consumer. 

A     TABLE, 

Showing-  the  number  of   Houses  supplied  by  the  Water  Companies  of  London,  ac- 
cording to  returns  made  to  Parliament,  in  1824. 


Names  of  Companies. 

JNo.  of 
Houses. 

Height  of  Supply 
above  Thames. 

Average  Daily  Supply 
to  each  House. 

Average  Charge 
per  House. 

Total  of  gallons  by 
each  Company. 

New  River, 
Chelsea, 
West  Middlesex, 
Grand  Junction, 
East  London, 
South  London, 
Lambeth, 
Southwark, 

73,212 
13,891 
16,000 
11,140 
46,421 
12,046 
16,682 
7,100 

145  leet. 
135 
155 
151| 
107 
80 
185 
60 

241  gallons. 
168 
185 
350 
120 
100 
124 
156 

£\    6s  6d 
1  13    3 
2  16  10 
286 
1     2    9 
0  15    0 
0  17    0 
1     1    3 

17,644,092 
2,833,688 
2,960,000 
3,899,000 
5,570,520 
1,204,600 
2,068,568 
1,107,600 

196,492 

37,289,168 

60  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

All  the  companies  but  two  derive  their  supply  from  the  Thames  abreast  of  the  city, 
and  where  the  sewers  empty  into  it,  and  all  the  filth  of  a  crowded  population.  They  all 
have  recourse  to  steam  engines,  to  raise  their  supplies  to  a  height  sufficient  for  distri- 
bution. 

The  large  iron  mains,  which  project  out  nearly  half  across  the  river  in  some  instances, 
are  laid  upon  the  bottom ;  a  method  that  could  only  be  resorted  to  with  safety  in  a  river 
where  there  is  but  boat  and  barge  navigation,  as  is  the  case  with  the  Thames  above  Lon- 
don Bridge  ;  otherwise,  these  pipes  would  be  in  constant  danger  from  the  anchoring  of 
vessels. 

Liverpool  is  supplied  with  water  copiously  by  two  companies,  the  Liverpool  and 
Harrington  Works,  and  the  Boothe  Water  Works ;  both  rely  upon  natural  springs,  and 
both  pump  up  the  water  to  their  reservoirs  by  steam. 

Manchester  has  also  its  water-works,  the  supply  being  drawn  from  the  river  Mad- 
lock,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  town,  which,  by  being  dammed  up,  filled  reservoirs 
prepared  for  it,  whence  it  is,  by  steam  power,  raised  to  higher  reservoirs.  Unfortunately 
for  the  first  undertaking,  relying  upon  the  judgment  of  Mr.  Rennie,  they  laid  down  stone 
pipes,  which,  on  the  first  application  of  the  pressure  of  the  head  of  water,  burst  or  leaked 
to  such  an  extent,  as  to  defeat,  for  a  time,  the  whole  enterprise,  and  ruin  the  projectors. 
The  works,  however,  passed,  into  other  hands — iron  pipes  were  substituted,  and  the  town 
is  now  well  supplied. 

Water  Works  of  Edinburgh. — These  works  were  commenced  in  1819,  and  com- 
pleted in  1824,  at  a  cost  of  £145,000,  or  about  $725,000 ;  the  water  is  brought  from  the 
Crawley  Springs — natural  sources  issuing  from  a  bank  of  gravel ;  they  are  collected  in  a 
stone  reservoir,  called  the  Fountainheads,  at  an  elevation  of  564  feet  above  the  sea,  at 
Leith,  and  230  feet  above  Castle  Hill.  The  distance  from  the  source  to  the  Castle 
Hill  reservoir,  in  a  direct  line,  is  six  miles  and  a  quarter,  but,  by  the  line  of  the  aqueduct, 
eight  and  a  half  miles.  The  water  is  conducted  the  whole  distance  through  iron  pipes, 
varying  in  diameter  from  fifteen  to  twenty  inches,  and  in  thickness  from  half  an  inch  to 
one  inch  and  a  quarter — in  lengths  of  nine  feet — and  formed  by  spigot  find  faucet,  that 
is,  the  end  of  each  pipe  is  widened,  in  order  to  receive  within  it  the  intrant  end  of  the 
preceding  pipe,  which  is  called  the  spigot,  the  joints  being  then  made  tight,  in  the  usual 
way,  by  a  caulking  of  oakum  or  clay,  and  molten  lead. 

The  pipes  were  all  proved  by  the  forcing  pump,  before  they  were  laid.  The  process 
is  simple :  the  pipe  is  filled  with  water,  and  firmly  plugged  at  both  ends,  leaving  at  one 
end  a  communication  with  the  forcing  pump.  In  this  state  the  pipe  exhibits  no  leak, 
but  after  a  few  minutes'  working  with  the  forcing  pump,  creating  a  pressure  of  from  ten 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 


61 


to  twenty  tons  upon  every  part  of  the  pipe,  if  the  casting  be  not  perfect,  water  is  seen  to 
transude,  and  if  very  faulty,  the  pipe  bursts.     In  either  case  the  pipe  is  useless. 

It  is  remarked  in  the  account  of  the  works  from  which  we  derive  these  particulars, 
"  that  the  shaking  of  pipes  by  carting,  effectually  tries  them — for  that  of  two  similar 
parcels  of  pipes,  equally  well  cast  at  first,  that  which  has  been  carted  twenty  miles  before 
it  was  proved,  will  exhibit  a  greater  number  of  defective  pipes  than  that  which  has  been 
proved  at  the  manufactory.  Hence  pipes  should  always  be  proved  at  the  place  where 
they  are  delivered,  and  not  where  they  are  made." 

The  whole  supply  from  the  Fountainhead,  is  conveyed  in  a  single  line  of  pipes, 
commencing  at  twenty,  and  tapering  off,  as  the  descent  increases,  to  fifteen  inches  ;  the 
daily  delivery  is  estimated  at  about  1,600,000,  gallons.  Mr.  Telford,  the  engineer,  com- 
putes the  full  supply  for  a  town,  at  nine  gallons  for  each  inhabitant.  The  population  of 
Edinburgh  and  Leith,  at  the  time  these  works  were  completed,  was  about  153,000, 
of  whom  those  in  the  country  parts,  intervening  between  Edinburgh  and  Leith,  and  on 
the  outskirts  of  both,  derived  water  from  wells,  springs,  and  rivulets. 

The  remarkable  features  of  this  aqueduct,  are : 

First.  A  large  and  beautiful  compensation  reservoir,  formed  by  constructing  a  vast 
mound,  450  feet  in  thickness,  120  feet  high,  and  300  in  length,  across  a  valley,  in  order 
to  collect  and  store  up  the  flood  waters  of  the  valley,  and  subsequently  to  distribute  them 
to  the  mills  below,  in  compensation  for  the  water  of  the  Crawley  Springs,  diverted  from 
their  former  destination. 

Second.  Its  tunnels :  the  first  of  them,  in  the  city,  passed  under  Watson's  and 
Heriot's  hospital,  at  the  depth  of  70  or  80  feet  below  the  surface.  The  second,  at  the 
Castle  Wynd,  which  passes  obliquely  through  the  solid  rock  of  the  castle,  emerging  at 
the  west  side  of  the  mound.  This  tunnel  is  700  feet  long,  and  passes  under  the  reservoir 
(which,  nevertheless,  is  supplied  by  a  pipe  from  it,  ascending  on  the  outside  of  the  rock.) 
at  the  depth  of  120  feet, 

Glasgow,  more  populous  than  Edinburgh,  is  supplied  by  steam  power  from  the 
waters  of  the  Clyde.  The  peculiarity  of  the  principal  works  of  this  city,  for  there  are 
two — the  Glasgow  works  of  which  we  are  first  to  speak,  and  the  Cranston  Hill  Works — 
is,  that  the  channels  and  reservoirs  into  which  the  water,  percolating  through  a  sandy  soil, 
passes  from  the  river,  are  on  the  left,  or  south  bank  of  the  Clyde,  while  the  most  of  the 
machinery,  and  the  city  itself,  are  on  the  other  bank  ;  of  course  the  water  for  the  engine 
well  must  be  conducted  across  the  river.  The  difficulty  of  such  a  transmission,  at  first 
sight  so  great,  was  obviated  by  the  genius  of  Watt,  to  whom  application  was  made. 
16 


62  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

"  This  celebrated  engineer  devised  a  flexible  main  of  iron  pipes,  so  connected  as 
to  adapt  its  form  to  the  bottom  of  the  river.  That  part  laid  across  the  bed  of  the  river, 
consisted  of  pipes,  nine  feet  in  length,  exclusive  of  the  joints,  and  having  a  diameter  of 
15  inches.  Some  of  the  joints  were  formed  in  the  usual  manner,  others  were  made 
similar  to  those  commonly  called  ball  and  socket,  or  universal  joints.*  By  means  of  these, 
the  whole  train  of  pipes  being  properly  and  firmly  connected,  the  main  was  laid  upon 
massive  wooden  frames,  consisting  of  logs  laid  parallel,  and  joined  together  by  very  strong 
iron  hinges.  The  pipes  and  frame  were  put  together  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  and 
the  end  of  the  pipe  intended  for  the  north  side,  was  stopped  with  a  plug,  when  a  trench 
having  been  previously  prepared  to  receive  them,  by  the  assistance  of  machinery,  the 
flexible  conduit,  with  its  bed  of  wood,  was  hauled  across  the  river,  the  moveable  joints  of 
the  pipes,  and  the  hinges  of  the  frames  allowing  the  whole  range  to  assume  the  form 
required  by  the  bottom  of  the  Clyde.  The  operation  was  aided  by  pontons,  and  the 
machinery  employed  to  haul  it  into  its  place,  was  of  course,  fixed  on  the  north  side  of 
the  river.  When  the  plugged  end  of  the  main  emerged  from  the  current,  it  was  imme- 
diately opened  and  connected  with  the  pipe  leading  to  the  reservoir  of  the  forcing  pumps. 
For  the  purpose  of  protecting  this  main  from  any  injury  from  vessels  passing  along  the 
Clyde,  the  whole  of  the  part  under  water  was  covered  with  gravel  and  stones.  This 
ingenious  and  useful  contrivance  was  executed  in  1810 — but  one  main  being  found  insuf- 
ficient for  the  demand  on  the  works,  in  1818,  another  of  28  inches  diameter,  arid  subse- 
quently a  third  of  36  inches,  was  laid  across  the  river.  The  two  last  conveyed  filtered 
watered  only."t 

There  are  six  engines  at  Dalmarnock,  which  propel  the  water  across  the  Clyde, 
which  is  there  about  100  yards  broad,  into  the  reservoirs  in  the  city  of  Glasgow,  to  a 
height  of  157  feet  above  the  level  of  the  river.  The  houses  are  generally  very  high, 

*  Hydraulia,  p.  149. 

t  An  early  instance  of  this  mode  of  transmitting  water  across  a  navigable  river  is  recorded  by  M.  Gautier, 
a  French  engineer,  in  a  work  published  in  1778,  upon  the  construction  of  roads. 

M.  Gautier  had  been  employed  to  devise  means  of  supplying  the  harbor  of  Rochefort  with  good  water.  He 
discovered  a  copious  source  on  the  side  of  the  Charente,  opposite  to  that  on  which  the  town  stands.  He  proposed 
accordingly,  to  bring  it  across  by  iron  pipes  laid  on  the  bottom  of  the  river,  protected  by  wooden  frames  against  the 
risk  of  accident  from  the  anchors  of  vessels.  The  project  was  rejected  as  impracticable  or  inexpedient. 

"  Some  years  after,"  says  M.  Gautier,  "  when  I  had  charge  of  the  roads  on  the  Rhone,  and  other  works  in 
Languedoc,  while  at  Aries,  I  heard  that  a  vessel  had  cast  anchor  in  the  Rhone,  opposite  the  city,  but  when  the 
commander  wanted  to  sail  again,  he  could  not  raise  his  anchor.  This  circumstance  attracted  much  attention ;  and 
the  captain,  unwilling  to  lose  his  anchor,  sent  down  a  man  to  find  what  was  the  matter.  The  diver  reported  that 
the  anchor  was  hooked  under  something  round,  but  he  could  not  tell  what  it  was.  By  aid  of  a  capstan  the  anchor 
was  raised,  and  brought  up  a  leaden  conduit  pipe  from  the  bottom  of  the  Rhone,  which  crossed  it  from  the  city  of 
Aries  towards  Trinquetaillade,  at  a  depth  of  42  feet,  and  where  the  river  is  some  550  feet  broad.  I  saw  some  pieces 
of  this  conduit  of  lead,  five  or  six  inches  in  diameter,  about  one  third  of  an  inch  thick  !  in  joints  of  six  feet,  soldered 
lengthwise,  and  covered  by  a  strip  or  sheet  of  lead  of  the  same  thickness,  covering  the  first  solder  about  two 
inches.  The  conduit  was  soldered  at  the  joints,  six  feet  apart,  by  the  same  material,  which  made  a  swell  at 
that  distance.  On  each  joint  were  these  words  in  relief,  C.  CAINTIUS  POI  HINUS.  P.,  apparently  the  name 
of  the  maker,  or  of  the  architect  who  laid  down  .the  pipes  in  the  time  of  the  Romans.  My  project  of  laying 
pipes  along  the  bottom  of  the  Charente,  would  not  have  been  half  so  difficult,  PS  it  had  no  doubt  been  to  lay  them 
across  the  Rhone,  where  this  was  found.  Hence  it  may  be  believed,  as  I  now  think  myself  that  many  things  sup- 
posed to  be  new,  and  now  for  the  first  time  invented,  may  have  been  thought  of  long  before,  even  in  remote  ages.— 
Traite  de  la  Construction  des  Ckemins,  p.  p.  129-30. 


PRELIMINARY     ESSAY.  63 

consisting  of  stories,  each  of  which  is  occupied  by  a  separate  family,  with  a  stone  stair- 
way in  common ;  but  such  is  the  arrangement  and  power  of  the  Glasgow  works  that 
abundance  of  water  is  distributed  into  every  story.  A  considerable  quantity  is  also  sup- 
plied to  fountains,  or  hydrants,  on  the  side-walks,  and  in  the  alleys,  or  closes. 

The  Cranston  Hill  Works,  made  many  and  costly  experiments,  as  to  the  best  mode 
of  filtering  the  water,  which  they,  too,  drew  from  the  Clyde,  and  eventually  so  impaired 
the  capital  of  the  company,  that  in  1834  they  were  fain  to  sell  out  to  the  Glasgow  Com- 
pany. The  experience  thus  dearly  purchased,  was,  however,  productive  of  benefit  to  the 
community,  for  the  water  now  supplied,  about  3,500,000  gallons  daily,  is  thoroughly 
filtered. 

Greenock,  which  may  be  called  the  seaport  town  of  Glasgow,  is  most  prodigally 
supplied  with  water,  and,  like  Edinburgh,  without  the  intervention  of  machinery,  being 
situated  at  the  foot  of  mountains,  from  which  issue  numerous  streams.  Mr.  Thorn,  a 
skilful  engineer,  in  1824,  devised  a  plan  by  which  he  gathered  into  vast  reservoirs  various 
mountain  rills,  and  after  passing  them  through  filters,  conducted  them  in  great  profusion 
to  all  parts  of  the  town  ;  and  not  only  furnished  in  this  way,  water  for  all  domestic  uses, 
but  enough  for  the  operations  of  several  mills.  The  filtering  reservoirs  are  200  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  town.  The  receiving  reservoirs  are  capable  of  containing  700,000,000 
cubic  feet.  The  number  of  inhabitants  of  Greenock  is  25,000,  receiving  each  two  cubic 
feet,  or  about  fourteen  and  one-tenth  gallons  daily. 

Paris  will  next  occupy  our  attention — and  considering  the  skill  in  all  departments  of 
engineering,  which  on  all  hands  is  acknowledged  to  belong  to  the  French,  it  is  remark- 
able that  their  capital,  and,  as  it  is  often  called,  and  really  considered,  the  capital  of  Europe, 
is  so  much  behind  England  in  its  contrivances  for  an  adequate  supply  of  water. 

The  early  supply  of  this  city,  like  others,  having  a  fresh  river  running  through  it, 
was  from  that  river,  and  from  wells.  Nevertheless,  as  the  Romans  had  constructed  an 
aqueduct  at  Arcueil,  for  the  supply  of  Paris,  it  seemed  reasonable  to  endeavor  to  restore 
what  Norman  fury,  in  the  ninth  century,  had  left  of  it — accordingly,  Henry  IV., 

"Seul  Roi  dont  le  peuple  ait  garde  la  memoire," 

in  1609,  caused  researches  to  be  made  for  the  ancient  conduits,  but  it  was  soon  ascertained 
that  it  would  be  easier  to  rebuild,  than  to  attempt  to  repair,  and,  under  the  regency  of 
Marie  de  Medicis,  in  1613,  the  work  was  undertaken,  and  completed  in  1624,  occupying 
nearly  12  years.  The  architect  was  Jacques  de  Brasses,  the  same  who  furnished  the 
design  for  the  Louvre.  The  quantity  of  water,  however,  thus  obtained,  was  so  small 
as  scarcely  to  compensate  for  the  expense  of  the  work.  At  subsequent  periods,  additional 


64 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 


supplies  were  connected  with  this  aqueduct,  and  the  united  streams  led  to  the  reservoir  at 
the  Observatory  in  Paris,  whence  they  were  distributed  to  the  fountains. 

Two  smaller  aqueducts,  that  of  the  Pre  St.  Gervais,  and  that  of  Belleville,  of 
ancient,  but  unascertained  date,  furnished  a  small  additional  supply  of  water,  but  it 
became  apparent,  as  the  city  grew,  that  resort  must  be  had  to  other  sources. 

The  Seine  was  naturally  looked  to,  and  a  Fleming,  in  Paris,  as  a  Dutchman  had  in 
London,  first  provided  the  means  of  raising  the  waters  of  that  river  above  its  level. 

John  LintlcBr*  proposed  to  Henry  IY.,  the  construction  of  a  pumping  machine  in  the 
Seine,  to  be  set  in  motion  by  the  flow  of  its  current,  and,  being  engaged  to  perform  the 
work,  he  succeeded  in  raising  the  water  above  the  Pont  Neuf,  and  thence,  in  distributing 
it  to  the  Louvre,  and  the  Tuilleries.  This  machine,  or  pump,  was  called  the  Samaritan, 
from  the  metal  figures  which  decorated  it.  The  success  of  this  experiment  led  to  the 
construction,  in  1670,  and  1671,  of  two  similar  machines  at  the  Pont  Neuf.  It  was  not 
till  1778  that  steam  engines  superseded  this  more  cumbrous,  and  less  efficient  machinery. 
In  that  year,  M.  Perier  erected  two  engines,  one  at  Gros  Caillou,  the  other  at  Chaillot, 
which  forced  up  water  in  greater  abundance,  and  supplied  both  fountains  and  other  pub- 
lic and  private  establishments. 

Various  schemes  were  from  time  to  time  put  forth,  to  add  to  the  supply  of  Paris, 
but  without  any  result,  till,  in  1802,  M.  Girard,  an  eminent  engineer,  proposed  to  bring  to 
the  city,  the  waters  of  the  river  Ourcq,  in  an  open  canal.  Bonaparte,  then  first  consul, 
warmly  approved  this  project,  and  a  decree  for  its  execution  was  signed  in  1S02,  and  M. 
Girard  was  charged  with  the  work.  The  water  is  taken  from  the  Ourcq,  at  sixty  miles 
from  Paris.  In  its  course,  the  canal  receives  the  tribute  of  the  Grisette,  the  Mai,  the 
Therouanne,  and  the  BeuvronneJ  all  which  streams  flow  into  its  channel,  which 
terminates  in  a  spacious  reservoir,  near  the  Barrier  de  la  Villette,  This  basin  is  about 
3660  feet  long,  366  broad,  and  7  deep.  Its  banks  are  ornamented  with  a  double  row 
of  trees. 

Two  smaller  canals  flow  from  it,  one  to  the  arsenal,  the  other  to  St.  Denis. 

LOAMI  BALDWIN,  ESQ.,  an  eminent  engineer  of  our  own  country,  who  constructed 
the  naval  dry  docks  at  Charlestown,  Mass.,  and  at  Norfolk,  Va.,  has  from  personal 
examination,  given  this  description  of  the  Canal  de  L:  Ourcq,  and  of  the  quantity  and 
annual  cost  of  water  supplied  to  Paris  : 

"  The  great  and  only  considerable  undertaking  for  supplying  the  city  is  the  Ourcq 
Canal,  which  has  been  nearly  twenty  years  in  completing.  It  affords  an  abundant 

*  Hydraulia,  p.  270.  t  Hydraulia,  p.  273. 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY.  55 

supply.  The  canal  begins  at  the  River  Ourcq,  above  58  miles  from  Paris,  and  in  its 
course  takes  in  five  or  six  other  streams,  or  feeders.  The  trunk  of  the  canal  is  36.08  feet 
(11  metres]  wide  ;  depth  8.20  feet  (2. 50  metres)  depth  of  water  4.92  feet  (1.50  metres)  and 
slope  of  the  banks  1.50  base  to  1  rise.  The  velocity  of  the  water  is  calculated  to  be 
nearly  thirteen  inches  a  second,  and  the  slope  of  the  Canal  about  three  and  a  half  inches 
a  mile. 

"  It  terminates  in  a  large  basin  near  the  Barriere  of  Villette.  From  the  south-west 
corner  opens  the  St.  Martin  Canal,  communicating  with  the  Seine  on  the  east  side  of 
Paris,  and  a  short  distance  before  coming  to  the  basin,  the  St.  Denis  canal  is  opened, 
passing  down  to  the  Seine  near  that  city,  on  the  north  side  of  Paris. 

"  At  the  north-west  corner  of  the  basin  is  taken  out  the  water  for  supplying  the 
city  by  a  subterranean  canal  or  aqueduct  on  the  north  side  of  Paris,  (aqueduc  de 
ceinture,)  nearly  two  miles  and  three  quarters  long.  The  work  is  in  stone  masonry, 
and  the  canal  for  the  water  is  three  feet  three  inches  wide  at  bottom,  five  feet  three 
inches  deep,  and  four  feet  six  inches  wide  at  top.  On  one  side  is  an  off-set  four  inches 
wide,  and  on  the  other  a  foot-walk  one  foot  six  inches  wide,  making  the  whole  breadth 
between  the  side  walls  above  the  trunk  six  feet  four  inches.  These  walls  rise  four  feet 
six  inches,  covered  with  a  semi-circular  arch.  At  various  points  there  are  galleries  and 
staircases,  to  descend  to  the  subterranean  aqueduct.  I  descended  to  examine  the  work 
with  M.  Girard,  the  engineer,  by  a  flight  of  steps  from  the  cellar  of  a  house  where  one  of 
the  guardians  resided. 

"  Convenient  arched  passages  are  constructed  under  three  principal  streets,  where 
one  may  walk,  and  where  are  laid  the  different  mains  taking  water  from  the  aqueduct, 
to  conduct  it  to  the  various  fountains  and  other  points  for  distribution.  They  are  laid 
upon  stone  blocks  or  cast  iron  frames,  so  that  they  may  be  easily  examined  all  round, 
from  one  end  to  the  other.  The  beautiful  fountain  in  the  Garden  of  the  Palais  Royal, 
that  in  the  Boulevard  of  Bondy,  &c.  are  supplied  from  this  water. 

"  The  canal  is  estimated  by  Mr.  P.  S.  Girard  the  engineer  who  constructed  it,  and 
had  the  whole  superintendence  of  distributing  the  water  in  Paris,  at  4000  inches  of 
water,  (polices  tfeau  de  fontainier.)  An  inch  of  water  is  so  much  as  will  flow  through 
a  hole  one  inch  diameter,  French  measure,  in  a  minute,  under  a  head  of  7-12  of  an  inch 
above  the  centre  of  the  aperture,  and  is  equal  to  813  1-2  cubic  inches  in  a  minute,  or  678 
cubic  feet  in  24  hours,  amounting  to  2,711,680  feet  for  the  4000  inches  daily,  or  over 
20  million  gallons. 

"  The  quantity  of  water  necessary  for  a  given  number  of  inhabitants  has  not  been 
accurately  fixed.  In  France  it  has  been  generally  estimated  at  19,195  litres  (one  inch) 
for  1,000  inhabitants.  The  Scotch  engineers  do  not  consider  the  supply  complete  at  less 
lhan  nine  gallons  a  day  for  each  individual  in  a  city.  If  we  compare  the  distribution  of 
water  in  London  with  the  population,  the  supply  is  at  the  jate  of  20  gallons  for  each 
person.  But  there  are  no  public  fountains  in  that  city,  and  the  people  receive  no  water 
but  what  is  furnished  by  independent  companies.  At  Paris,  4000  inches  of  water  of 
Ourcq  are  appropriated  for  fountains  and  for  cleaning  streets,  so  that  water  is  raised  from 
the  Seine  for  domestic  use.  The  actual  quantity  thus  used  does  not  exceed  200  inches, 
(equal  135,584  cubic  feet  daily,)  and  it  costs,  from  an  accurate  and  detailed  estimate,  the 
enormous  sum  of  4,265,756  francs,  equal  to  $767,836.  To  supply  the  want  of  Seine 
water,  on  account  of  its  cost,  pumps  are  employed  in  nearly  all  private  houses,  and  spring 
and  well  water  is  used,  although  it  does  not  possess  the  qualities  suitable  for  mechanical 
industry. 
17 


66  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

"  Great  inconvenience  arises  among  engineers  and  hydraulicians,  from  the  want  of 
a  standard  unit,  to  denote  the  quantity  of  water  flowing  in  a  given  time.  The  foun- 
taineer's  inch  (pouce  d>  eau  de  fontainier)  is  used  by  all  French  writers  upon  the  subject, 
though  admitted  by  most  of  them  to  be  very  indefinite.  It  is  perhaps  sufficiently  correct 
for  practical  purposes,  but  not  adopted  in  philosophical  investigation.  Genieys  says,  it  is 
( equal  to  the  quantity  of  water  a  pipe  an  inch  in  diameter  would  furnish  in  a  minute,  so 
placed  that  the  centre  of  orifice  should  be  seven  lines  below  the  surface  of  the  reservoir 
to  which  it  is  adapted.  To  estimate  the  quantity  it  is  still  necessary  to  determine  the 
length  of  the  pipe  or  thickness  of  the  side  of  the  vessel  in  which  the  aperture  is  made, 
through  which  the  water  is  discharged.  Now  this  has  never  been  done  in  such  a  way 
as  that  all  agree  upon  the  exact  amount ;  but  it  is  generally  admitted  to  be  equal  to  15 
pints,  or  13.33  litres  a  minute,  or  19,195  litres  in  24  hours.' 

"  The  above  are  French  measures.  The  litre  is  equivalent  to  61,028  cubic  inches  ; 
hence  the  fountaineer's  inch  is  813  1-2  cubic  inches  a  minute,  or  678  cubic  feet  a  day. 
Gallon,  as  used  by  English  writers,  is  also  a  very  ambiguous  term,  when  applied  to 
hydraulic  discharges.  The  gallon  which  I  employ  in  this  report,=  231  cubic  inches  ;  the 
beer  gallon,=  282 ;  and  the  imperial  gallon,=  277,274  cubic  inches. 

"  Mr.  Geniey's  statement  is  that  19,195  litres  (one  inch)  is  generally  estimated  in 
France,  as  a  supply  for  1000  inhabitants  ;  which  gives  0.6779  cubic  feet,  or  a  little  over  5 
gallons  to  each  daily.  Seine  water  is  distributed  by  carriers  in  hogsheads  or  carts,  for 
which  they  pay  at  the  pumps  or  filters  6305  francs  the  inch,  and  retail  again  to  the  inhabi 
tants  for  30,462  francs.  The  amount  thus  paid  by  the  Parisians  is  annually  2,864,504 
francs.  Another  class  of  water-carriers  are  those  who  carry  it  in  buckets,  (Porteurs  d1 
eau  a  bretelles),  hung  to  straps  connected  with  a  kind  of  yoke  over  the  shoulders.  These 
take  water  gratuitously  from  fountains  of  the  second  class,  from  the  Seine,  or  from  the 
filtering  establishments  on  the  quay  of  the  Celestins,  sell  it  for  10  centimes  the  voire,  or 
two  pailfuls  of  water ;  about  two  cents  for  four  and  a  half  gallons.  In  this  manner  the 
water-porters  receive  1,405,252  francs,  thus  making  the  total  sum  of  4,266,756  francs,  = 
$767,835,  as  before  stated,  paid  annually  by  the  citizens  of  Paris  for  a  daily  supply  of 
135,584  cubic  feet,  or  1,013,168  gallons.  Mr.  Genieys  says  '  a  company  might  furnish  for 
domestic  use  ten  times  the  quantity  for  the  same  cost.'" 

The  class  of  water-carriers  in  Paris,  who  retail  water  from  the  fountains  is  numer- 
ous. There  is  also  another  set  in  the  employ  of  a  filtering  company,  which,  drawing 
its  water  from  the  Seine,  and  elevating  it  by  steam  power  into  the  filtering  reser- 
voir, distributes  it  by  carts  like  the,  now  obsolete,  water-carts  of  New- York,  among 
its  customers. 

The  fountains  in  the  streets  and  public  places  of  Paris,  are  frequent ;  and  among  the 
unfinished  projects  of  Napoleon,  is  that  of  the  great  Elephant  fountain,  which  he  designed 
to  erect  on  the  site  of  the  Bastile.  The  model  of  the  colossal  elephant  under  a  shed  close 
by,  attests  at  once  the  grandeur  of  the  design,  and  the  mutability  of  fortune. 

We  conclude  with  the  recent  Artesian  Well,  on  a  large  scale,  in  the  plain  of  Gre- 
nelle,  which  is  thus  described  : 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY.  67 


THE  ARTESIAN  WELL  AT  GRENELLE,  PARIS. 

"  Artesian  wells  are  so  called  from  the  probability  that  they  were  first  constructed  in 
Artois,  although  from  the  authority  of  several  ancient  writers,  they  appear  to  have  been  in 
use  in  the  earliest  ages.  The  Artesian  well  at  Grenelle,  has  lately  been  completed,  after 
eight  years  of  constant  labor  and  repeated  difficulties.  The  south-western  portion  of 
Paris  was  but  very  poorly  supplied  with  water,  and  at  Grenelle,  a  suburb  immediately 
adjoining  the  city,  this  deficiency  was  so  seriously  felt,  that  it  became  an  object  of  the 
greatest  importance  to  find  means  of  remedying  the  evil.  M.  Mulot,  an  experienced  geo- 
logist, being  consulted  as  to  the  practicability  of  constructing  a  well  on  the  Artesian  prin- 
ciple, stated  that  the  perforation  would  necessarily  be  of  extraordinary  depth,  owing  to 
the  nature  of  the  district.  We  extract  from  the  "  Magasin  Pittoresque"  the  following 
geological  description  of  the  basin  of  Paris  :  "  Two  conditions,  as  it  is  well  known,  are 
requisite  for  the  formation  of  an  Artesian  well :  first,  the  existence  of  a  pervious  stratum, 
such  as  gravel,  placed  between  two  impervious  strata,  such  as  clay ;  secondly,  the  perco- 
lation of  the  water  through  the  pervious  stratum,  from  a  point  higher  than  that  to  which 
it  is  required  to  rise.  The  basin  of  Paris  is  in  the  form  of  a  hollow  plate,  formed  by  a 
stratum  of  chalk.  In  this  basin  have  been  successively  deposited  the  tertiary  strata,  in 
the  centre  of  which  Paris  is  situated.  On  a  circular  space  bounded  by  the  towns  of 
Laon.  Mantes,  Blois,  Sancerre,  Nogent-sur-Seine,  and  Epernay,  these  strata  appear  at  the 
surface,  and  conceal  the  chalk,  but  on  the  other  side  of  the  towns  we  have  mentioned, 
the  edge  of  the  basin  being  passed,  the  chalk  is  found  generally  on  the  surface."  If  we 
look  at  the  order  in  which  the  tertiary  strata  occur,  we  shall  then  comprehend  the  obsta- 
cles M.  Mulot  had  to  overcome,  and  the  probability  of  the  ultimate  success  of  his  under- 
taking. Leaving  unnoticed  the  surrounding  hills,  we  will  examine  the  nature  of  the  soil 
which  composes  the  Plain  of  Grenelle.  On  the  surface  it  is  formed  of  gravel,  pebbles, 
and  fragments  of  rock,  which  have  been  deposited  by  the  waters  at  some  period  anterior 
to  any  historical  record.  Below  this  surface  M.  Mulot  knew,  by  geological  inductions 
and  previous  experience,  that  at  Grenelle  marl  and  clay  would  be  found  in  the  place  of 
the  limestone  which  in  general  forms  the  stratum  immediately  beneath.  M.  Mulot  was 
aware  that  he  must  bore  about  four  hundred  and  forty  yards  in  depth,  before  he  should 
meet  with  the  sources  which  flow  in  the  gravel  below  the  limestone,  and  supply  the  wells 
of  St.  Ouen,  St  Denis,  and  Stains.  Beneath  the  marl  and  clay,  the  boring-rods  had  to  per- 
forate pure  gravel,  plastic  clay,  and  finally  chalk,  which  forms  the  bottom  of  the  basin  in 
which  the  tertiary  strata  have  been  deposited.  No  calculations  or  geological  knowledge 
could  determine  the  thickness  of  this  stratum  of  chalk,  which,  from  its  powers  of  resist- 
ance might  present  a  nearly  insurmountable  obstacle.  The  experience  obtained  in 
boring  the  wells  of  Elbeuf,  Rouen,  and  Tours,  was  in  this  respect  but  a  very  imperfect 
guide.  But  supposing  this  obstacle  to  be  overcome,  was  he  sure  of  finding  a  supply  of 
water  below  this  mass  of  chalk  ?  In  the  first  place,  the  strata  below  the  chalk  possessed, 
as  we  shall  see,  all  the  necessary  conditions  for  producing  Artesian  springs,  namely,  suc- 
cessive layers  of  clay  and  gravel,  or  pervious  and  impervious  beds.  M.  Mulot  confidently 
relied  upon  his  former  experience  of  the  borings  of  the  wells  at  Rouen,  Elbeuf  and  Tours, 
where  abundant  supplies  of  water  had  been  found  below  the  chalk,  between  similar  strata 
of  clay  and  gravel. 

"  But  one  other  condition  is  requisite  to  effect  the  rising  of  the  water  in  an  Artesian 
well,  viz.  that  the  point  of  infiltration  should  be  higher  than  the  orifice  above  which  the 
water  is  to  rise.  This  also  was  the  case  at  Grenelle.  In  fact,  M.  Arago  had  shewn  that 


68  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

the  water  of  the  spring  in  question  would  necessarily  rise  to  the  surface,  because,  in  the 
well  at  Elbeuf,  which  is  nearly  nine  yards  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  the  water  rises  from 
twenty-seven  to  twenty-nine  yards  above  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  consequently  from 
thirty-six  to  thirty-eight  yards  above  the  level  of  the  ocean.  Now,  as  the  orifice  at  Gre- 
nelle  is  only  thirty-four  yards  above  this  same  level,  it  follows  that  if  the  same  spring 
were  met  with,  the  water  must  rise  above  the  surface  of  thev  earth  at  Crenelle. 

"  The  necessary  works  were  now  commenced  with  boring-rods  about  nine  yards 
long,  attached  to  each  other,  and  which  could  be  raised  or  lowered  by  mechanical  means  ; 
and  an  ingenious  method  was  adapted  for  giving  them  a  circular  motion.  The  diameter 
of  the  bore  hole  was  about  six  inches.  The  instrument  attached  to  the  end  of  the  lowest 
boring-rod,  was  changed  according  to  the  different  strata  which  were  successively  reach- 
ed, the  form  adapted  for  passing  through  the  softer  materials  of  the  surface,  being  unsuit- 
able to  boring  through  the  chalk  and  flint,  a  hollow  tube  being  used  for  the  former,  while 
the  latter  was  penetrated  by  a  chisel-shaped  instrument.  The  size  of  the  rods  diminished 
in  proportion  to  the  depth,  and  as  the  subterranean  water  was  not  reached  so  soon  as  was 
expected,  it  became  requisite  five  several  times  to  enlarge  the  diameter  of  the  bore,  to  admit 
of  the  work  being  successfully  continued.  Accidents  occurred  also,  which  tried  the  utmost 
patience  of  the  projectors.  In  May,  1837,  when  the  boring  had  extended  to  a  depth  of  four 
hundred  and  eighteen  yards,  the  hollow  tube,  with  nearly  ninety  yards  of  the  boring-rods 
attached  to  it,  broke,  and  fell  to  the  bottom  of  the  hole,  and  it  was  necessary  to  extract 
the  broken  parts  before  any  further  progress  could  be  made.  The  difficulty  of  accom- 
plishing this  may  be  conceived,  when  it  is  stated  that  the  different  fragments  were  not 
withdrawn  until  after  the  lapse  of  fifteen  months.  A  description  of  the  ingenious  mode 
by  which  this  was  effected,  would  be  too  technical  for  our  work.  Again,  in  April,  1840, 
before  it  could  be  recovered,  several  months  were  spent  in  excavating  round  it.  A  similar 
occurrence  created  an  obstacle  which  impeded  the  work  for  three  months,  but  instead  of 
being  withdrawn,  the  detached  part  was  driven  literally  into  the  stratum,  which  happened 
to  be  gravel.  At  length,  in  February,  1841,  after  eight  years'  labor,  the  rods  suddenly 
descended  several  yards  ;  they  had  pierced  the  vault  of  the  subterranean  waters  of  which 
M.  Mulct  had  been  so  long  in  search.  In  the  course  of  a  few  hours  the  water  rose  to  the 
surface  and  discharged  itself  at  the  rate  of  600,000  gallons  per  hour.  The  depth  attained 
was  six  hundred  and  two  yards.  The  pipe  by  which  the  water  reaches  the  surface  has 
recently  been  carried  to  a  height,  nearly  on  a  level  with  the  source  of  supply.  At  present 
the  water  flows  into  a  circular  iron  reservoir  at  the  top  of  the  scaffold,  and  it  is  thence 
conveyed  by  another  pipe  to  the  ground.  The  water  is  of  good  quality,  and  well  adapted 
for  culinary  and  domestic  purposes.  There  is  no  fear  of  the  supply  proving  deficient,  as 
it  is  derived  from  the  infiltration  of  a  surface  of  country  nearly  two  hundred  miles  in 
diameter.  The  Artesian  wells  of  Elbeuf,  Tours,  and  Rouen,  which  were  formed  many 
years  ago,  flow  in  an  invariable  volume.  The  ancient  Artesian  well  at  Lillers,  in  the  Pas 
de  Calais,  has  for  above  seven  centuries  furnished  a  constant  and  equable  supply.  When 
the  source  of  supply  is  less  extensive,  these  wells  may  be  subject  to  variations,  but  the 
probability  of  this  may  generally  be  foreseen  by  the  geologist  and  the  engineer. 

"  The  opportunity  of  ascertaining  the  temperature  of  the  earth  at  great  depths  was 
not  neglected  during  the  progress  of  the  works  at  Grenelle.  Thermometers  placed  at  a 
depth  of  thirty  yards  in  the  wells  of  the  Paris  Observatory  invariably  stand  at  53°  Fah- 
renheit. In  the  well  at  Grenelle  the  thermometer  was  74°  at  a  depth  of  four  hundred  and 
forty-two  yards,  and  at  five  hundred  and  fifty  yards  it  stood  at  79°.  The  depth  attained 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 


69 


being  six  hundred  and  two  yards,  the  temperature  of  the  water  which  rose  to  the  surface 
was  81°,  corroborating  previous  calculations  on  the  subject.  Now  that  the  patient  labor 
of  so  many  years  is  brought  to  a  close,  the  neighbors  regret  that  it  was  not  necessary  to  go 
to  a  depth  of  about  one  thousand  yards  for  a  supply,  as  the  water  would  then  have  been 
at  a  temperature  of  104°,  and  immediately  applicable  to  bathing  establishments  and  other 
places  in  which  warm  water  is  required." 

THE    AaUEDUCT    OF    LISBON. 

The  aqueduct  of  Lisbon  has  been  long  admired  for  the  excellence  of  its  construction, 
and,  in  point  of  magnitude,  is  not  inferior  to  any  similar  edifice  which  the  ancients  have 
left  us.  That  part  of  it  situated  in  the  valley  of  Alcantara,  about  a  mile  from  Lisbon, 
consists  of  thirty-five  arches,  by  which  the  water  is  conveyed  over  a  deep  vale,  formed  by 
two  opposite  mountains.  The  dimensions  of  it  in  the  deepest  part  of  the  valley  are  as 
follows  :  height  of  the  arch  from  the  ground  to  the  intrados,  230  feet,  10  inches ;  from 
the  vortex  of  the  arch  to  the  extrados,  exclusive  of  the  parapet,  9  feet,  8  inches ;  from  the 
extrados  to  the  top  of  the  ventilator,  23  feet,  4  inches  ;  making  a  total  height  from  the 
ground  of  263  feet.  Span  of  the  principal  arch,  107  feet,  8  inches  ;  breadth  of  piers  of 
the  principal  arches,  28  feet ;  and  thickness  of  the  piers  in  general,  23  feet,  8  inches. 

The  arches  on  each  side  of  the  principal  one  diminish  in  breadth,  as  the  piers 
whereon  they  rest  decrease  in  height,  with  the  declivity  of  the  ground  ;  they  do  not,  how- 
ever, decrease  by  any  regular  progression,  neither  are  the  curves  employed  in  the  arches 
of  one  kind,  fourteen  of  them  being  in  the  Gothic  or  pointed  style  ;  the  rest  are  semi-cir- 
cular, a  variation  adopted  by  the  architect,  Manuel  dal  Maga,  from  an  apprehension,  that 
making  the  five  principal  arches  semi-circular,  he  would  considerably  add  to  the  expense. 
In  the  rest  of  the  edifice,  much  judgment  has  been  displayed  ;  no  part  of  it  has  failed,  or 
appears  to  have  received  the  least  injury. 

This  aqueduct  was  finished  in  1738.  The  great  earthquake,  which  in  1755,  destroy- 
ed thousands  of  lives,  in  Lisbon,  numerous  houses,  palaces,  and  churches,  and  shook  all 
the  peninsula,  had  no  effect  upon  this  noble  structure,  which  continued  to  pour  its  waters 
into  the  ruined  city,  with  the  same  equal  flow,  after,  as  before  that  great  catastrophe. 

Over  the  arches  there  runs  a  vaulted  corridor,  9  feet  6  inches  high,  by  5  feet  broad 
internally.  A  continued  passage  runs  through  the  centre  of  it,  for  the  people  who  con- 
stantly attend  to  keep  it  in  order,  and  a  semi-circular  channel  or  conduit  of  13  inches  di- 
ameter at  each  side,  through  which  the  water  is  conveyed.  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that 
these  channels  are  laid  not  in  an  inclined  direction,  as  in  other  aqueducts,  but  horizontal- 
ly ;  to  compensate  for  this,  a  small  depression  is  made,  at  certain  intervals,  by  which  the 
water  is  impelled  along  the  horizontal  line  ,  a  manner,  supposed  by  the  natives,  to  require 
less  declension  in  conveying  water  than  an  inclined  line.  There  are  two  thoroughfares 

for  foot  passengers  along  the  aqueduct,  one  at  each  side  of  the  corridor,  which  is  5  feet 
18 


70  PREL1MINARYESSAY. 

wide,  defended  by  a  stone  parapet.     From  some  remains  of  the  Romans  on  this  spot,  it  is 
supposed  they  either  did,  or  attempted  to,  construct  an  aqueduct  in  this  situation. 

The  honor  of  erecting  this  noble  structure  is  due  to  John  V.  This  munificent  prince 
laid  the  foundation  of  it  in  1713,  and  in  thirteen  years  the  whole  was  completed. 

The  city  of  Lisbon,  in  testimony  of  gratitude  raised  an  arch  to  his  memory,  bearing 
a  flattering  inscription,  in  the  Latin  tongue,  importing  that  he  had  not  only  conferred 
wealth,  glory,  strength  and  peace  on  his  kingdom,  but  that,  overcoming  nature  as  it  were, 
he  had  introduced  perennial  waters  into  the  city,  and  hailing  him  therefore  as  the  best  of 
princes,  and  the  author  of  a  great  and  useful  public  work. 

Manuel  dal  Maga  was  the  architect,  and  the  expense  was  defrayed  in  part,  by  a  tax 
of  one  rei,  something  less  than  one  tenth  of  a  cent,  on  every  pound  of  meat  sold  in  the 
capital.  Murphy,  in  his  travels,  in  recording  this  fact,  states  the  quantity  of  butchers 
meat  sold  in  Lisbon,  in  the  year  1789,  at  12,212,160  pounds. 

"  The  consumption  of  flesh,"  he  adds,  "  is  greatly  reduced  here,  by  the  quantity  of 
fresh  and  salt  fish  with  which  the  markets  are  constantly  supplied."* 

It  is  singular  that  Murphy,  who  was  an  architect,  should  not  have  furnished  details  of 
the  mode  of  construction,  nor  of  the  cost  of  this  noble  work,  nor  given  any  hint  of  the 
quantity  of  water  brought  into  the  city  by  it. 

The  supply  of  this  aqueduct  is  derived  from  the  mountains  of  Cintra.  Its  course  is 
between  8  and  9  miles,  and  it  terminates  in  the  city,  in  a  Chateau  d'Eau  or  Castel- 
lum,  whence  the  waters  are  distributed  to  numerous  fountains.  Lisbon  is  built  upon 
the  slope  of  a  hill,  over  the  top  of  which,  the  waters  of  the  aqueduct  are  introduced. 
Lofty,  therefore,  as  are  the  houses,  there  is  head  enough  to  carry  a  supply  up  to  the  attics, 
yet  here,  as  in  Rome,  not  a  pipe,  as  is  believed,  is  laid  to  any  house  in  the  city  ;  a  corps 
of  water  carriers,  of  Spanish  descent,  and  from  their  province  of  Gallicia,  taking  the  name 
of  Gallegos,  effect  the  distribution  of  the  bountiful  outpouring  of  this  noble  aqueduct, 
and  are  to  be  seen  at  all  hours  of  the  day,  toiling  up  the  stone  stairways  of  the  loftiest 
houses,  bearing  on  their  head  or  shoulders,  an  earthen  vase,  containing  almost  a  barrel  of 
water. 

With  this  grandest  of  modern  European  aqueducts,  we  terminate  our  notice  of  such 
constructions  in  the  Old  World,  and  turn  to  America,  where,  earlier  than  is  recorded, 
aqueducts  have  existed. 

AMERICAN    AQUEDUCTS. 

In  the  southern  portion  of  our  continent,  a  race  more  civilized  than  any  of  the 
aboriginal  inhabitants  of  that  portion  of  America,  now  constituting  the  United  States, 

*  Murphy's  Travels  in  Portugal,  4to  ed.,  p.  183. 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY.  71 

had  constructed  extensive  conduits  or  aqueducts,  for  the  irrigation  of  their  arid  soil,  and 
in  some  cities,  for  culinary  and  other  domestic  use. 

Humboldt  and  Garcilasso  de  la  Vega,  speak  with  admiration  of  the  aqueducts  of 
Peru.  Garcilasso,  who  was  a  Peruvian  by  the  mother's  side,  and  who  wrote  his  Com- 
mentaries in  1560,  records  of  Viracocha,  the  seventh  Inca,  that  he  constructed  "an  aque- 
duct, 12  feet  in  depth,  and  120  leagues  in  length.  The  source  of  it  was  in  springs  on  the 
top  of  a  high  mountain  between  Parca  and  Picuy,  which  were  so  plentiful,  that  at  the 
very  head  of  the  conduit  they  seemed  to  be  rivers.  The  current  of  water  had  its  course 
through  all  the  country  of  the  Rucanac,  and  served  to  water  the  pasturage  of  those  unin- 
habited lands,  which  are  about  18  leagues  in  breadth,  watering-  almost  the  whole  country 
of  Peru:' 

"  There  is,"  says  the  same  author,  "  another  aqueduct,  which  traverses  the  whole 
country  of  Cuntisuya,  running  above  150  leagues  from  south  to  north.  Its  head  is  from 
the  top  of  high  mountains,  and  the  water  falling  into  the  plains  of  Quechuas,  greatly 
refresh  their  pasturage,  when  the  heats  of  the  summer  and  autumn  have  dried  up  the 
moisture  of  the  earth.  There  are  many  streams  of  like  nature  which  run  through 
divers  parts  of  the  empire,  which,  being  conveyed  by  aqueducts,  at  the  charge  and  expense 
of  the  Incas,  are  works  of  grandeur  and  ostentation,  and  recommend  the  magnificence  of 
the  Incas  to  all  posterity ;  for  these  aqueducts  may  well  be  compared  to  the  miraculous 
fabrics,  which  have  been  the  works  of  mighty  princes,  who  have  left  their  prodigious 
monuments  of  ostentation  to  be  admired  by  future  ages,  for  indeed,  we  ought  to  consider 
that  these  waters  had  their  sources  and  beginning  from  vast  high  mountains,  and  were 
carried  over  craggy  rocks  and  inaccessible  passages  ;  and  to  make  these  ways  plain,  they 
had  no  help  of  instruments  forged  of  steel  or  iron,  such  as  pickaxes  or  sledges,  but 
served  themselves  only  of  one  stone  to  break  another.  Nor  were  they  acquainted  with 
the  invention  of  arches,  to  convey  the  water  on  the  level  from  one  precipice  to  another, 
but  traced  round  the  mountain,  until  they  found  ways  and  passages  at  the  same  height 
and  level  with  the  head  of  the  springs. 

The  cisterns  or  conservatories,  which  they  made  for  these  waters  at  the  top  of  the 
mountains,  were  about  12  feet  deep ;  the  passage  was  broken  through  the  rocks,  and  chan- 
nels made  of  hewn  stone  of  about  two  yards  long  and  one  high,  which  were  cemented 
together  and  rammed  in  with  earth  so  hard,  that  no  water  could  pass  between,  to  weakeu 
or  vent  itself  by  the  holes  of  the  channel. 

The  conduit  of  water  which  passes  through  all  the  divisions  of  Cuntisuya,  I  have 
seen  in  the  province  of  Qaiechuas,  which  is  part  of  that  division,  and  considered  it  an 
extraordinary  work,  indeed  surpassing  the  description  and  report  which  had  been  made 
of  it. 


72  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

But  the  Spaniards,  who  were  aliens  and  strangers,  little  regarded  the  convenience 
of  these  works,  either  to  serve  themselves  in  the  use  of  them,  or  to  keep  them  in  repair, 
nor  yet  to  take  so  much  notice  of  them,  as  to  mention  them  in  their  histories,  but  rather 
out  of  a  scornful  and  disdaining  humor,  have  suffered  them  to  run  into  ruins  beyond  all 
recovery.  The  same  fate  hath  befallen  the  aqueducts  which  the  Indians  made  for  water- 
ing their  corn  lands,  of  which  two  thirds  at  least,  are  wholly  destroyed,  and  none  kept  in 
repair,  except  some  few  that  are  so  useful,  that  without  them  they  cannot  sustain  them- 
selves with  bread,  nor  with  the  necessary  provisions  of  life." 

One  might  suspect  Garcilasso,  himself  descended  from  the  Incas,  of  some  exaggera- 
tion of  these  great  works,  but  Humboldt,  whose  impartiality  and  exactness  are  alike  well 
established,  confirms  his  testimony. 

In  a  note  to  page  31,  of  the  New  York  edition  of  Black's  Translation  of  the  Essay 
on  New  Spain,  this  passage  occurs : 

"  The  largest  and  finest  construction  of  the  Indians  in  this  way,  is  the  aqueduct 
of  the  city  of  Tezcuco.  We  still  perceive  the  traces  of  a  great  mound,  constructed  to 
heighten  the  level  of  the  water. 

How  must  we  admire  the  industry  and  activity  displayed  by  the  ancient  Mexicans 
and  Peruvians,  in  the  irrigation  of  arid  lands.  In  the  maritime  parts  of  Peru,  I  have 
seen  the  remains  of  walls,  along  which  water  was  conducted  for  a  space  of  from  5  to 
6000  metres,  from  the  foot  of  the  Cordilleras  to  the  coast.  The  conquerors  of  the  16th 
century  destroyed  these  aqueducts,  and  that  part  of  Peru  has  become,  like  Persia,  a  desert, 
destitute  of  vegetation.  Such  is  the  civilization  carried  by  the  Europeans  among  a  peo- 
ple whom  they  are  pleased  to  call  barbarous."* 

In  a  very  clever  and  elaborate  volume  on  "  American  Antiquities,"  by  Alexander  W. 
Bradford,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  we  find  this  brief  but  explanatory  statement  concerning  the 
extent  and  structure  of  the  Peruvian  aqueducts  : — 

"'I  have  had  various  opportunities,'  says  a  recent  traveller,  'of  closely  examining 
one  of  these  canals,  which  is  formed  at  the  source  of  the  river  Sana,  on  the  right  bank, 
and  extends  along  a  distance  of  15  leagues,  without  reckoning  sinuosities,  and  which  con- 
sequently supplied  a  large  population,  particularly  one  city,  whose  ruins  still  remain  in 
the  vicinity  of  a  farm  named  Cojal.' 

"  These  aqueducts  were  often  of  great  magnitude,  executed  with  much  skill,  patience, 
and  ingenuity,  and  were  boldly  carried  along  the  most  precipitous  mountains,  frequently, 
according  to  Ulloa,  to  the  distance  of  15  or  20  leagues.  Many  of  them  consisted  of  two 
conduits,  a  short  distance  apart ;  the  larger  of  these  was  for  general  use ;  the  other  and 
smaller  to  supply  the  inhabitants  and  water  the  fields,  while  the  first  was  cleansing,  a 

*  New  Spain,  vol.  ii.,  p.  46. 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY.  73 

circumstance  in  which  they  bear  a  striking  resemblance  to  those  of  Mexico.  They  also 
conveyed  water  to  the  most  distant  places,  by  subterranean  conduits.  Garcilasso 
describes  five  fountains  that  existed  in  the  Temple  of  the  Sun,  at  Cuczo,  and  which  were 
used  for  sacred  purposes,  one  of  which  he  saw  flowing-,  the  others  having  become  dry. 

"  It  is  probably  one  of  these  fountains  that  now  supplies  the  Hospital  de  Naturales  ; 
its  pipes  are  buried  under  the  earth,  and  cannot  be  traced,  and,  as  in  the  time  of  the  Peru- 
vian historian,  its  sources  are  unknown.  At  Lanasca,  there  is  also  a  fountain  supplied 
through  subterranean  conduits,  the  source  of  which  has  never  been  traced.  Many  of 
these  great  works  became  useless  after  the  conquest,  from  their  very  magnificence,  for 
their  pipes  being  made  of  gold,  excited  the  cupidity  of  the  avaricious  Spaniards,  and 
others  were  destroyed  from  mere  wantonness."  * 

In  the  same  volume  we  find  these  additional  notices  of  the  Mexican  aqueducts,  and 
of  the  Vandal  destruction  of  them  by  the  Spaniards. 

"  The  aqueduct  of  Chapoltepec,  consisted  of  two  conduits,  formed  of  solid  mason- 
work,  each  five  feet  high  and  two  paces  broad,  by  which  the  water  was  introduced  into 
the  city  for  the  supply  of  various  fountains.  Olid  and  Alvarado  commenced  the  siege 
of  Mexico,  by  attempting  to  cut  off  this  supply  of  water,  an  enterprise  which  the  Mexi- 
cans endeavored  to  prevent.  "  There  appeared  on  that  side,"  says  De  Solis,  "  two  or 
three  rows  of  pipes,  made  of  trees  hollowed,  supported  by  an  aqueduct  of  lime  and  stone, 
and  the  enemy  had  cast  up  some  trenches  to  cover  the  avenue  to  it.  But  the  two  Cap- 
tains marched  out  of  Tacuba  with  most  of  their  troops,  and  though  they  met  with  a  very 
obstinate  resistance,  they  drove  the  enemy  from  their  post,  and  broke  the  pipes  and  aque- 
duct in  two  or  three  places,  and  the  water  took  its  natural  course  into  the  lake."  t 

One  cannot  but  recall  here  the  like  destruction  by  Vitlges  and  his  Gothic  hordes, 
of  the  noble  aqueducts  of  Rome  ;  nor  restrain  the  indignation  with  which  such  acts  of 
barbarism,  perpetrated  by  Christians  and  civilized  men,  against  those  whom  they  de- 
nounced as  pagans  and  savages,  should  be  regarded  and  recorded. 

The  following  farther  description  of  the  aqueducts  of  ancient  Mexico^  is  given  by 
Cortes,  (the  conqueror)  in  a  long  despatch,  addressed  to  the  Emperor  Charles  V.,  dated  at 
Segura,  in  Mexico,  October  30th,  1520,  and  soon  after  printed  at  Seville,  (Spain.) 

"  Along  one  of  the  causeways  that  lead  into  the  city,  are  laid  two  pipes,  constructed 
of  masonry,  each  of  which  is  two  feet  in  width  and  about  five  feet  in  height.  An  abun- 
dant supply  of  excellent  water,  forming  a  volume  equal  in  bulk  to  the  human  body,  is 
conveyed  by  one  of  the  pipes,  and  distributed  about  the  city,  where  it  is  used  by  the  inhab- 
itants for  drinking,  and  other  purposes.  The  other  pipe,  in  the  meantime,  is  kept  empty 
until  the  former  requires  cleansing,  when  the  water  is  conducted  into  it ;  and  it  continues 
to  be  used  till  the  process  of  cleansing  is  completed. 

*  Bradford's  Antiquities  of  America,  p.  136,  1.  t  Bradford's  Antiquities  of  America,  pp.  106,7. 

19 


74  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

"As  the  water  is  necessarily  carried  over  bridges,  on  account  of  the  passage  of  the  salt 
water,  (of  the  lake)  across  the  causeway,  at  different  points,  reservoirs  resembling  canals 
are  constructed  on  the  bridges  through  which  the  fresh  water  is  conveyed  ;  these  reser- 
voirs are  of  the  breadth  of  the  body  of  an  ox,  and  of  the  same  length  of  the  bridges. 
Thus  the  whole  city  is  supplied.  The  water  is  also  carried  in  canoes  through  all  the 
streets,  for  sale,  being  taken  from'the  aqueduct  in  the  following  manner  ;  the  canoes  pass 
under  the  bridges,  on  which  the  reservoirs  are  placed,  and  men  stationed  above  fill  them 
with  water,  for  which  service  they  receive  a  suitable  compensation." 

We  are  indebted  for  this  translation  to  Mr.  Folsom,  the  Librarian  of  the  New  York 
Historical  Society ;  who  is  preparing  for  the  press  a  complete  English  version  of  Cortes' 
Letters. 

Gomara,  the  Chaplain  of  Cortes,  whose  "  Chronicle  of  New  Spain"  was  published 
in  1552,  states  in  addition  to  the  above,  that  "  the  water  was  brought  from  a  place  called 
Chapoltepec,  three  miles  distant  from  the  city,  where  it  sprang  from  a  hill,  at  the  foot  of 
which  stood  two  statues  wrought  in  stone,  with  bucklers  and  lances,  the  one  represent- 
ing, (it  is  said,)  Montezuma,  and  the  other  his  father,  Oxayaca."  * 

Cortes,  in  his  5th  letter  to  Charles  V.,  speaks  of  the  springs  of  Amilco,  near  Cheru- 
basco,  of  which  the  waters  were  brought  to  the  city  by  pipes  of  burnt  earth.  We  still, 
says  Humboldtjt  perceive  the  remains  of  this  great  aqueduct,  which  was  constructed  with 
double  pipes,  one  of  which  received  the  water,  while  they  were  employed  in  cleaning1 
the  other. 

De  Sol  is,  the  historian  of  the  Conquest  of  Mexico,  speaking  of  the  magnificence  of 
Montezuma,  and  of  his  works,  thus  refers  to  the  waters  and  aqueducts  of  the  city : 

"  In  all  these  gardens  and  pleasure  houses,  he  had  many  fountains  of  sweet  and 
wholesome  water,  conveyed  from  the  neighboring  mountains,  by  different  canals  as  far  as 
the  causeys,  whence  in  covered  pipes,  it  was  introduced  into  the  city ;  for  the  use 
whereof  there  were  some  public  fountains  ;  and  he  permitted  some  of  the  meaner  sort  of 
people,  though  not  without  paying  a  considerable  tribute,  to  sell  about  the  streets  what 
water  they  brought  from  other  springs.  The  conveniency  of  fountains  was  very  much 
increased  in  the  time  of  Montezuma ;  for  the  great  conduit  which  conveys  a  current  of 
fresh  water  to  Mexico,  from  the  mountains  of  Chapoltepec,  about  a  league  distant  from 
the  city,  was  a  work  of  his ;  arid  by  his  order  and  contrivance,  a  vast  cistern  of  stone 
was  made  for  a  reservatory ;  raising  the  same  to  such  a  height  as  the  delivery  of  the 
current  required.  After  this  he  gave  orders  for  a  very  thick  wall,  with  two  open  canals, 
made  of  stone  and  lime,  of  which  one  was  always  in  use  when  the  other  required  clean- 
ing. A  building  extremely  useful ;  and  Montezuma  valued  hmiself  so  much  upon  the 
invention,  that  he  ordered  his  own  effigies  and  that  of  his  father,  which  bore  a  pretty  near 

*  Cronica  c"e  la  Nueva-Espana,  por  Francisco  Lopez  de  Gomara;  Madrid,  1749 j  p.  79,  (originally 
printed  at  Saragossa,  1552.) 

t  Humb.  N.  Spain,  vol.  ii.,  p.  31. 


PRELIMINARYESSAY.  75 

resemblance  to  his,  to  be  engraved  on  two  stones,  with  an  ambition  to  perpetuate  his  me- 
mory by  so  signal  a  benefaction  done  to  the  city.;'  * 

Montezuma's  reign  commenced  A.  D.  1502.  The  city  was  captured  on  13th  August, 
1521 — 196  years  after  its  foundation  by  the  Aztecas.  Clavigero  mentions  another  aque- 
duct constructed  by  the  predecessor  of  Montezuma,  Ahuizoth,  from  Copoacai  to  Mexico — 
of  which  the  chief  object  was  to  supply  the  failing  waters  of  the  salt  water  lake  that 
surrounded  Mexico — and  which  had  become  difficult  of  navigation.!  "  The  water,"  says 
our  author,  "  was  conveyed  with  many  superstitious  ceremonies,  some  of  the  priests 
offering  incense,  others  sacrificing  quails,  and  anointing  the  lip  or  border  of  the  aqueduct 
with  blood ;  others  sounding  musical  instruments,  and  otherwise  solemnising  the  arrival 
of  the  water.  The  high  priest  wore  the  same  habit  with  which  they  represented  Chalcli- 
chuitlical,  goddess  of  the  water." 

A  very  rainy  season  succeeded  which  caused  the  lake  to  rise  and  overflow — doing 
much  damage.  In  consequence  the  new  aqueduct  was  destroyed. 

Iztacpalapa,  a  town  of  10,000  houses,  on  one  of  the  causeways  leading  to  the  city 
of  Mexico,  was,  says  de  Solis,  noted  for  "  many  fountains  of  sweet  and  wholesome  waters, 
conveyed  by  several  aqueducts  from  neighboring  mountains."  $ 

Our  adventurous  and  intelligent  traveller,  Stephens,  in  describing  his  visit  to 
Palenque  in  ruins,  thus  commemorates  its  aqueduct  :§ 

"  The  exploration  of  the  aqueduct,  Pawling  and  I  attempted  together.  It  is  supplied 
by  a  stream  which  runs  at  the  base  of  the  terrace  on  which  the  palace  stands.  At  the 
time  of  our  arrival,  the  whole  stream  passed  through  this  aqueduct.  It  was  now  swollen 
and  ran  over  the  top,  and  alongside.  At  the  mouth  we  had  great  difficulty  in  stemming 
the  torrent.  Within  it  was  perfectly  dark,  and  we  could  not  move  without  candles.  The 
sides  were  of  smooth  stones  about  four  feet  high,  and  the  roof  was  made  by  stones  lapping 
over  like  the  corridors  of  the  buildings.  At  a  short  distance  from  tha  entrance,  the  passage 
turned  to  the  left,  and  at  a  distance  of  160  feet  it  was  completely  blocked  up  by  the  ruins 
of  the  roof  which  had  fallen  in.  What  was  its  direction  beyond,  it  was  impossible  to 
determine,  but  it  certainly  did  not  pass  under  the  palace,  as  has  been  supposed." 

A  fine  modern  aqueduct  was  built  at  Rio  Janeiro,  in  1740,  in  imitation  of  that  of 
Lisbon,  and  in  some  of  its  proportions,  is  hardly  less  imposing. 

"  It  consists,"  says  McLuccock,  "  of  two  walls  about  six  feet,  arched  over,  with  suf- 

*  P.  78,  Book  iii.,  of  De  Soils'  History  of  Mexico — done  into  English  by  Thomas  Townsend,  London,  1779, 

t  Clavigero  in  Cullen's  translation,  vol.  ii.  p.  204.,  London  Edition  in  4to.  1787,  p.  204, 

t  Book  iii.,  Class  x.,  p.  55,  Townsend's  translation. 

5  Stephens'  vol.  ii,  p.  321.,  at  Palenque.  -% 


76  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

ficient  space  for  workmen  to  enter  it  occasionally  and  pass  through  its  whole  length. 
At  suitable  intervals,  there  are  openings  for  the  admission  of  light  and  air.  Within  it,  is 
laid  the  canal,  about  eighteen  inches  wide,  twenty-four  deep,  and  three  miles  long.  It 
commences  at  the  bottom  of  the  lofty  conical  peak  of  the  Corcovado,  where  the  waters 
flowing  from  that  mountain,  are  collected  into  a  covered  reservoir,  and  thence  conveyed 
into  the  canal.  Their  course  from  the  summit  is  through  deep  and  shady  woods,  and  the 
canal  is  defended  from  the  sunbeams,  and  thus,  until  they  reach  the  city,  little  of  their 
freshness  is  lost."  * 

This  water  supplied  the  fountains,  whence  it  was  distributed  for  sale  by  water  carriers — 
none  being  conveyed  by  pipes  into  the  houses.  The  largest  public  fountain  is  in  the 
square  fronting  the  palace,  and  close  to  the  harbor.  This  supplies  the  shipping,  and  it  is 
constantly  surrounded  by  sailors  of  all  nations.  Captain  Cooke  expressed  doubts  about 
the  goodness  of  the  water  for  long  voyages  ;  but  Dr.  Von  Spix,  a  Bavarian  traveller,  who 
visited  Brazil  in  1818,  states,  that  it  had  been  conveyed  to  India  and  back,  and  found  un- 
corrupted.  The  supply  of  water  from  this  source  and  all  others,  is  spoken  of  as  scanty, 
for  such  a  population  ;  but  no  account  is  given  of  the  quantity. 

In  the  United  States,  as  earliest  and  grandest  in   design,  we  mention  the  Water 
Works  of  Philadelphia. 

The  first  water  works  were  commenced  in  1799,  (the  year  in  which  the  Manhattan 
Company  was  incorporated  for  supplying  New- York  with  water,)  and  consisted  of  forcing 
pumps,  worked  by  steam  engines,  which  raised  the  water  from  the  Schuylkill  into  a 
reservoir,  constructed  at  an  elevation  of  fifty  feet  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  from  which 
it  was  conveyed  to  the  city  in  wooden  pipes.  In  1811  the  city  councils  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  devise  means  for  procuring  a  more  perfect  supply  than  those  in  use  afforded  ; 
and  shortly  after,  two  steam  engines  and  pumps  were  established  at  Fairmount,  another 
point  of  the  Schuylkill,  about  two  and  a  half  miles  from  the  city.  A  reservoir  318  feet 
in  length,  167  in  width,  and  10  in  depth,  was  made  at  an  elevation  of  98  feet,  into  which 
the  water  was  forced  from  the  river  by  the  engines  and  pumps. 

The  great  expense  attending  this  mode  of  raising  the  water,  caused  the  city  authorities 
to  cast  about  for  some  more  economical,  as  well  as  effective,  expedient,  and  accordingly 
in  1819,  a  contract  was  made  with  Capt.  Ariel  Cooly,  for  damming  the  Schuylkill.  For 
the  sum  of  $150,000,  he  undertook  to  throw  a  dam  of  sufficient  height  across  the  river 
to  create  the  requisite  head  of  water,  to  construct  the  locks  and  canal  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  the  navigation,  to  build  the  head  arches  of  the  race-way  for  the  water  power,  and 
to  excavate  the  race  out  of  the  solid  rock.  The  whole  length  of  the  dam,  including  the 

*  Notes  on  Rio  de  Janeiro,  by  Jno.  Luccock,  1820. 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY.  77 

head  arches,  and  the  water  pier,  exceeds  1600  feet,  and  it  backs  the  water  up  the  river 
about  six  miles. 

By  the  water  power  thus  created,  operating  upon  eight  wheels  and  pumps,  it  is  estima- 
ted that  ten  million  gallons  may  be  daily  thrown  into  the  reservoirs;  the  flow  of  the  river  in 
dry  seasons  was  supposed  to  be  440,000,000  gallons  in  the  24  hours,  and  allowing  for 
leakage,  wastage,  &c.  it  is  calculated  that  40  gallons  upon  the  wheels  will  raise  one  into 
the  reservoir — which  would  give  a  result  of  11,000,000  gallons  a  day. 

"  On  the  east  side  of  the  river,  the  whole  of  the  bank  was  a  solid  rock,  which  it  was 
necessary  to  excavate  to  the  width  of  one  hundred  and  forty  feet,  to  form  a  race  as  a  site 
for  the  mill  houses  running  parallel  with  the  river.  The  length  of  the  mill  race  is  four 
hundred  and  nineteen  feet,  the  greatest  depth  of  excavation  sixty  feet,  and  the  least  six- 
teen feet.  The  gunpowder  used,  alone  cost  the  contractors  upwards  $  12,000.  At  the 
upper  part  of  this  excavation  were  erected  the  head  arches,  three  in  number,  which  extend 
from  the  east  end  of  the  mound  dam,  to  the  rock  of  the  bank,  thus  forming  a  continua- 
tion of  the  dam. 

"  On  the  west  of  the  excavation  are  erected  the  mill  houses,  forming  the  west  side  of  the 
race,  which  is  supported  on  the  other  side  by  the  rock,  rising  above  it  seventy  or  eighty  feet 
perpendicular.  The  south  end  of  the  race  is  also  of  solid  rock,  and  the  mill  houses  are 
founded  on  rock,  so  that  nothing  can  be  contrived  more  secure  in  all  respects. 

The  race  is  about  ninety  feet  in  width,  and  is  furnished  with  water  through  the 
head  arches,  which  allow  a  passage  of  water  sixty-eight  feet  in  breadth,  and  six  feet  in 
depth,  to  which  the  race  is  excavated  below  the  overfall  of  the  dam,  and  of  course,  room  is 
allowed  for  a  continual  passage  of  four  hundred  and  eighty  square  feet  of  water  ;  these 
arches  are  on  the  north  of  the  race,  and  the  mill  buildings  being  on  the  west,  the  water 
passes  from  the  race  to  the  wheels  which  discharge  the  water.  The  mill  buildings  are 
of  stone,  two  hundred  and  thirty-eight  feet  long  and  fifty-six  feet  wide  ;  the  lower  section  is 
divided  into  twelve  apartments,  four  of  which  are  intended  for  eight  double  forcing 
pumps ;  the  other  apartments  are  for  the  forebags  leading  to  the  water  wheels.  The 
pump  and  forebag  chambers  are  arched  with  brick,  and  are  perfectly  secure  from  the 
inclemency  of  the  weather.  Those  now  in  use,  are  kept  warm  by  means  of  two  large 
iron  stoves,  heated  to  great  advantage  and  economy  with  Schuylkill  and  Lehigh  coal. 

It  has  been  from  the  commencement  determined,  for  the  present,  to  erect  only  three 

wheels  and  pumps,  which  are  now  completed,  and  with  them  the  most  important  parts 

of  the  duty  of  the  committee.     The  first  of  the  wheels  is  fifteen  feet  in  diameter  and 

fifteen  feet  long,  working  under  one  foot  head  and  seven  feet  fall.     This  was  put  in 

20 


78  PRELIMINARY     ESSAY. 

operation  on  the  1st  of  July,  1822,  and  it  raises  one  and  a  quarter  million  of  gallons  of 
water  to  the  reservoir  in  twenty -four  hours,  with  a  stroke  of  the  pump  of  four  and  a  half 
feet,  a  diameter  of  sixteen  inches,  and  the  wheel  making  eleven  and  a  half  revolutions  in 
a  minute.  The  second  wheel  was  put  in  operation  on  the  14th  of  September,  and  is  the 
same  length  of  the  first,  and  is  sixteen  feet  in  diameter ;  it  works  under  one  foot  head 
and  seven  and  a  half  feet  fall,  making  thirteen  revolutions  in  a  minute,  with  a  four  and  a 
half  feet  stroke  of  the  pump,  and  raises  one  and  one  third  million  of  gallons  in  twenty-four 
hours.  The  third  wheel  went  into  operation  on  the  24th  December,  1822,  and  is  of  the 
same  size  as  the  second,  and  works  under  the  same  head  and  fall,  making  thirteen  revolu- 
tions in  a  minute  with  a  five  feet  stroke  of  the  pump,  and  raises  one  and  a  half  million 
gallons  of  water  in  twenty-four  hours.  It  is  not  doubted  that  the  second  wheel  can  be 
made  to  raise  an  equal  quantity,  thus  making  the  whole  supply  upwards  of  four  millions 
of  gallons  in  twenty-four  hours. 

The  wheels  are  formed  of  wood,  and  put  together  with  great  strength  ;  the  shafts  are 
of  iron,  weighing  about  five  tons  each.  The  great  size  and  weight  of  the  wheel  give  it  a 
momentum  which  adds  greatly  to  the  regularity  of  its  motion,  so  necessary  to  preserve 
the  pumps  from  injury  under  so  heavy  a  head  as  they  are  required  to  work,  which  is  a 
weight  of  7,900  Ibs.,  the  height  ninety-two  feet. 

"  The  pumps  are  placed  horizontally,  according  to  a  design  of  Mr.  F.  Graff,  and  are 
worked  by  a  crank  on  the  water  wheel ;  they  are  fed  under  a  natural  head  of  water,  from 
the  forebags  of  the  water  wheel,  and  are  calculated  for  a  six  feet  stroke  ;  but  hitherto  it 
has  been  found  more  practicable  to  work  with  not  more  than  five  feet.  They  are  double 
forcing  pumps  and  are  connected,  each  of  them,  to  an  iron  main  of  sixteen  inches  diameter, 
which  is  carried  along  the  bottom  of  the  race  to  the  rock  at  the  foot  of  Fairmount,  and 
thence  up  the  bank  into  the  new  reservoir.  At  the  end  of  the  pipe  there  is  a  stop-cock, 
which  is  closed  when  needful  for  any  purpose.  The  shortest  of  these  mains  is  two 
hundred  and  eighty-four  feet  long ;  the  other  two  are  somewhat  longer.  The  reservoir 
next  the  bank  is  one  hundred  and  thirty-nine  feet  by  three  hundred  and  sixty  feet,  is 
twelve  feet  deep,  and  contains  three  million  of  gallons  ;  it  is  connected  at  the  bottom  with 
the  old  reservoirs  by  two  pipes  of  twenty  inches  diameter  with  stop  cocks.  This  reservoir 
contains  four  millons  of  gallons.  All  the  water,  being  raised  into  the  reservoirs  one 
hundred  and  two  feet  above  low  tide,  fifty-six  feet  above  the  highest  ground  in  the  city, 
is  thence  conveyed  to  the  city,  by  iron  pipes." 

On  24th  October,  1822,  the  steam  engines  of  the  old  work  were  stopped,  never  again, 
we  presume,  to  be  wanted.  The  actual  consumption  of  water  in  Philadelphia,  is  stated 
at  2,000,000  gallons  in  winter,  and  3,000,000  in  summer,  "  when  the  streets  are  washed." 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY.  79 

The  distribution  of  the  water  from  Fairmount,  is  by  two  iron  mains  of  20  inches 
diameter,  to  the  junction  of  Chestnut  and  Broad  Streets  ;  and  thence  by  intersecting  pipes 
through  various  parts  of  the  city ;  superceding  the  wooden  pipes,  or  bored  logs,  of  the 
first  works. 

The  whole  expense  of  this  admirable  work  was  $426.000,  exclusive  of  the  distri- 
bution pipes  from  the  reservoir.  The  city  had  previously  expended  in  experiments  more 
than  a  million  of  dollars — raised  by  a  general  tax  on  the  property  assessed  for  other  city 
expenses. 

Cincinnati,  the  imperial  city  of  the  west,  next  claims  our  notice,  from  the  extent  of 
its  water  works.  From  a  valuable  volume,  by  Charles  Cist,  entitled  Cincinnati  in 
1841,  we  take  the  annexed  account  of  them. 

"  This  important  establishment  was  originally  projected  by  Col.  Saml.  W.  Davies,  in 
the  year  1817.  In  May  of  that  year,  he  obtained  from  the  city  council  a  charter,  granting 
the  exclusive  privilege  of  laying  pipes,  &c.,  in  the  streets  of  the  city,  for  the  term  of  99 
years. 

"  A  suitable  building  for  his  operations  was  commenced  in  1819,  on  the  bank  of  the 
river,  a  short  distance  above  Deer  creek.  This  edifice,  which  is  appropriated  to  the  ma- 
chinery for  raising  water,  has  its  foundation  laid  deep  and  strong  in  the  rock  which,  at  this 
place,  forms  the  bed  of  the  Ohio.  Its  walls,  commencing  about  ten  feet  above  low  water 
mark,  are  built  of  limestone.  They  are  eight  feet  thick  at  the  foundation,  diminishing 
gradually  to  a  height  of  thirty-five  feet,  where  they  are  five  feet  thick.  Here  the  brick 
work  commences.  The  building  on  the  river  side  is  ninety  feet  high.  A  well,  which 
has  been  excavated  in  the  solid  rock  beneath  the  building,  communicates  by  a  canal  with 
the  deep  water,  and  thus  guarantees  a  constant  supply  at  the  lowest  possible  depression  of 
the  river.  The  water  is  raised  from  this  well  by  lifting-pumps  to  a  point  above  high 
water  mark,  and  is  thence  forced  up  to  the  reservoirs  on  the  hill,  a  distance  of  about 
seven  hundred  feet.  These  reservoirs  are  elevated  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  low 
water  mark,  and  about  thirty  feet  above  the  upper  plane  of  the  city.  The  machinery 
employed  for  the  purpose  is  a  forty  horse  power  steam  engine. 

"  The  largest  of  these  reservoirs  is  one  hundred  and  three  feet  by  fifty  feet,  and  the 
smaller  ninety-four  feet  by  forty-five  feet.  The  average  depth  of  the  whole  is  twelve  feet, 
and  their  capacity  one  million  six  hundred  thousand  gallons.  The  water  is  carried 
through  cast  iron  pipes,  under  the  bed  of  Deer  creek,  to  the  intersection  of  Broadway  and 
Third  street,  where  it  is  distributed  along  all  the  principal  streets,  through  pipes  of  oak 
logs  with  iron  joints.  About  twenty-four  miles  of  pipe  have  been  already  laid,  and  they 
are  constantly  extended  as  rapidly  as  public  convenience  and  patronage  require.  The 
price  of  water  varies  according  to  the  quantity  supplied  to  a  hydrant,  the  minimum  rate 
being  ten  dollars.  Those  who  take  the  water  are  at  the  expense  of  conducting  it  from 
the  main  pipe  in  the  street,  and  furnishing  hydrants,  as  well  as  keeping  them  in  order. 

"  Until  1826,  the  works  were  carried  on  individually.  In  that  year,  under  the  neces- 
sity of  increasing  its  operations,  the  ownership  was  transferred  to  others,  who  became 
incorporated  under  the  title  of '  The  Cincinnati  Water  Company,'  and  who,  after  repeated 
efforts  to  sell  out  to  the  city  since,  accomplished  that  arrangement,  under  the  sanction  of  a 
public  vote  of  the  citizens,  in  1839. 


80  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

The  report  of  the  superintendent  of  the  works,  for  1840,  will  serve  to  explain  their 
present  condition. 

Satement  of  the  Condition  of  the    Water   Works,  on  the  15th  of  December,  1840. 

There  are  now  in  the  city, 

Wooden  pipes,  from  1£  to  2 5  inches  in  diameter,  19£  miles. 
Iron  pipes,  from  4  to  20  inches  in  diameter,  -  -  ••  4£  " 

Making  in  all, -    23J       « 

There  have  been  laid  since  the  purchase  of  the  works  by  the  city, 
Wooden  pipes  of  2£  inches  diameter,  -----  3,337  feet, 
Iron  pipes  of  4  to  10  inches  diameter, 3,311  " 


Making  in  all 6,648     " 

being  all  the  pipes  laid  down  in  that  period,  except  the  ordinary  repairs  of  logs,  the 
expense  of  which  equals  the  cost  of  three  inch  iron  pipes  ;  and  in  view  of  this  fact,  I 
again  respectfully  suggest  to  the  committee,  the  importance  of  abandoning  the  putting 
down  the  logs  entirely,  and  laying  nothing  but  iron  pipes.  It  is  at  once  seen,  that 
although  the  original  cost  of  logs  is  much  cheaper  than  iron,  yet  the  repairs  of  such  logs 
cost  as  much  as  the  first  cost  of  iron  pipes  of  double  the  capacity  ;  as  regards  economy, 
therefore,  there  can  be  but  one  opinion,  and  that  is  in  favor  of  good  iron  pipes.  Another 
disadvantage  from  the  use  of  logs,  which  is  severely  felt  in  the  upper  part  of  the  city,  is 
the  impossibility  of  supplying  through  them,  as  much  water  as  the  wants  of  the  citizens 
require  ;  being  necessarily  of  small  diameter,  and  the  draft  on  them  constant,  the  water 
will  not  rise  in  the  upper  part  of  the  city  to  within  twenty  feet  of  the  height  of  the 
reservoir.  In  cities,  such  as  Philadelphia,  where  the  average  height  of  their  reservoir  is 
less  than  in  our  own  city,  they  have  an  abundant  supply  of  water,  not  only  for  domestic 
purposes,  but  in  case  of  fire  also,  which  I  deem  one  of  the  first  objects  of  well  regulated 
water  works.  The  reason  of  this  abundant  supply  is  obvious,  as  in  Philadelphia  they 
have  iron  pipes  of  capacity  sufficient  for  all  their  wants.  They  suffered  formerly  at 
Philadelphia  in  the  same  manner  as  ourselves,  when  at  one  time  they  had  six  lines  of 
wooden  pipes  leading  their  water  to  the  city,  which  they  finally  abandoned,  and  substi- 
tuted iron  pipes  of  large  diameter. 

"  There  have  been  discontinued  since  the  city  came  into  possession  of  the  water  works 
— of  wooden  pipes,  seven  thousand  eight  hundred  and  seventy-one  feet.  Of  this  amount, 
three  thousand  three  hundred  and  eleven  feet  have  been  replaced  with  iron  pipes,  and 
four  thousand  five  hundred  and  sixty  feet  have  been  discontinued  on  streets  where  the 
former  company  had  laid  down  iron  pipes,  and  still  continued  the  use  of  the  logs.  The 
attachments  were  therefore  changed  to  the  iron  pipes,  and  the  logs  abandoned,  by  which 
considerable  leakage  and  many  repairs  have  been  avoided. 

"  The  consumption  of  water  in  the  city  has  averaged  for  fhe  last  year,  one  million 
and  eighty  thousand  gallons  daily,  which  has  been  distributed  to  three  thousand  tenants, 
being  an  average  daily  supply  to  each  tenant  of  three  hundred  and  sixty  gallons.  This 
large  average  supply  is  attributable,  partially,  to  the  constant  practice  throughout  the  city 
of  families,  and  other  establishments,  supplying  themselves  with  water  from  the  hydrants 
and  pipes  without  authority,  which  has  become  a  very  serious  drawback  upon  the  revenue 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY.  81 

of  the  works.  But  the  large  average  supply  (so  greatly  beyond  the  wants  of  the  citizens)  is 
principally  owing  to  the  innumerable  leaks  from  the  wooden  pipes,  which  it  is  impossible 
to  discover,  as  the  water  descends  into  the  gravel  and  into  the  numerous  sink  holes,  so 
common  on  the  upper  plane  of  the  city. 

"As  the  iron  pipes  are  substituted,  this  waste  will  diminish,  and  I  have  no  doubt,  when 
the  wooden  pipes  are  all  abandoned,  and  some  prompt  measures  enforced  against  such  as 
take  water  without  authority,  that  the  present  amount  of  fuel  consumed  by  the  engines, 
will  supply  double  the  number  of  tenants. 

"  The  average  supply  of  water  to  each  tenant  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia  is  one 
hundred  and  seventy-seven  gallons  daily,  being  less  than  half  the  quantity  supplied  from 
the  works  of  this  city. 

"  The  present  engines  and  pumps  can  supply,  by  working  twelve  hours  each  day, 
twenty-one  million  gallons  of  water,  by  running  both  engines  at  the  same  time. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

S.  H.  DA  VIES,  Superintendent. 


In  Boston  about  1000  families  are  supplied  with  water  by  the  Boston  Aqueduct  Com- 
pany, at  an  annual  charge  of  from  ten  to  twelve  dollars  to  each  family.  The  water  is 
conveyed  from  the  Jamaica  pond,  through  wooden  logs,  and  thence  into  the  houses  by  its 
own  head. 

The  distinguished  engineer,  Loami  Baldwin,  at  the  request  of  the  city  authorities , 
had  some  few  years  ago,  surveyed  the  ground  between  Boston  and  the  Long  Pond,  distant 
about  ten  miles  from  the  city,  and  reported  a  plan  quite  feasible,  and,  considering  the  ad- 
vantages promised,  of  reasonable  cost,  by  which  a  perpetual  and  abundant  supply  to  the 
whole  city,  could  be  derived  from  that  source  and  delivered  at  a  sufficient  elevation,  to  sup- 
ply the  upper  stories  of  the  houses. 

Absorbed  possibly  in  other  great  public  works,  especially  the  Western  Rail  Road,  the 
city  of  Boston  has  not  as  yet  decided  to  attempt  the  new  aqueduct. 

The  city  of  Albany  is  partially  supplied  with  water  by  a  chartered  company.  The 
water  is  procured  from  a  creek  between  two  and  three  miles  north  of  the  city,  and  brought 
to  the  distributing  reservoir  through  a  line  of  six  inch  iron  pipe.  About  1200  dwelling 
houses  are  supplied  from  this  source,  and  the  rates  charged  for  the  use  of  the  water  vary 
from  $8  to  $16. 

Troy,  in  this  State,  has  also  its  water  works.     The  stream  selected  for  the  purpose 

of  supplying  the  citizens,  is  the  Piskawin  Creek,  and  the  distributing  reservoir  is 

placed  on  its  margin,  about  one  third  of  a  mile  east  of  the  city,  and  at  an  elevation  of  100 

feet  above  tide,  and  about  73  feet  above  the  plain  upon  which  most  of  the  city  buildings 

21 


82  PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 

are  erected.  The  reservoir  will  hold  about  1,900,000  gallons  ;  and  the  minimum  supply 
of  the  creek  at  an  unusually  dry  time,  was  840,000  gallons  per  diem,  which  will  allow  56 
gallons  per  day  to  each  soul,  estimating  the  population  at  15,000. 

The  main,  which  first  receives  the  water,  is  sixteen  inches  in  diameter  where  it 
enters  the  reservoir,  tapering  down  to  twelve  inches  at  the  other  end.  The  mains  run- 
ning through  the  several  streets,  vary  from  twelve  to  three  inches  in  diameter,  according 
to  circumstances.  It  has  been  ascertained  at  Troy,  that  a  12  inch  main,  with  a  head  of 
73  feet,  will  discharge  from  the  reservoir,  and  deliver  into  the  city  1,500,000  gallons  every 
twenty-four  hours. 

The  whole  cost  of  the  Troy  Water  Works,  viz.,  for  the  purchase  of  land  and  water 
rights,  building  the  reservoir,  and  laying  the  main  pipes  through  the  city,  will  amount  to 
about  $115,000.  The  annual  expense  of  attending  the  works  is  but  $800  ;  five  hundred 
to  a  superintendent,  and  three  hundred  to  a  clerk. 

Providence,  in  Rhode  Island,  is  partially  supplied  by  an  aqueduct,  but  on  no  very 
extensive  scale. 

Richmond,  the  capital  of  Virginia,  derives  water  from  the  James  river  by  works 
planned  by  Mr.  Albert  Stein,  who  was  among  the  engineers  originally  employed  to  sur- 
vey the  courses  of,  and  make  estimates  for,  the  Croton  Aqueduct. 

An  engine  house  56  feet  long  and  58  wide,  built  of  stone,  on  the  banks  of  the  river, 
cover  two  wheel  pits  and  two  pumps,  constructed  like  those  at  the  Fairmount  works. 

The  water-wheels  are  of  cast  iron,  with  the  exception  of  the  buckets  and  soling,  18 
feet  in  diameter  to  the  point  of  the  buckets,  10  feet  wide  between  the  shroudings,  and  14 
inches  depth  of  shrouding.  The  cast  iron  shaft  of  the  water-wheel  is  10  inches  in  diame- 
ter in  the  journals,  and  16  feet  6  inches  long. 

The  head  and  fall  of  the  water  is  10  feet.  Each  pump  is  calculated  to  raise  in  24 
hours,  400,000  gallons  into  the  reservoir  160  feet  above  the  pump.  The  reservoir  will 
contain  one  million  gallons,  and  is  divided  into  four  apartments,  two  of  which  are  for 
filtering. 

We  now  come  to  our  own  great  work — THE  CROTON  AQUEDUCT. 


MEMOIR 


CROTON  AQUEDUCT. 


MEMOIR 


CROTON   AQUEDUCT. 


AT  A  very  early  day  the  want  of  a  sufficient  supply,  and  a  convenient  distribution 
of  good  water,  was  felt  by  the  citizens  of  New- York. 

Before  the  declaration  of  independence,  considerable  expenditures  had  been  made  in 
order  to  satisfy  this  want. 

In  July,  1774,  the  proposal  of  Christopher  Colles,  to  erect  a  reservoir  and  to  convey 
water  through  the  several  streets  of  the  City,  after  having  been  sometime  before  the  Com- 
mon Council,  was  finally  adopted  and  ordered  to  be  carried  into  effect. 

The  scheme  of  Mr.  Colles,  was  simply  that  since  adopted  by  the  Manhattan  Com- 
pany, of  digging  large  wells,  and  from  them  pumping  the  water  up  into  reservoirs. 

The  ground  selected,  was  on  the  east  line  of  Broadway,  between  Pearl  and  White 
streets,  where  a  spacious  reservoir  was  constructed.  On  the  8th  of  August,  1774,  the 
following  resolution  was  adopted  by  the  Common  Council : — 

Ordered — That  the  northerly  part  of  the  property  of  Augustus  Van  Cortlandt  and 
Frederick  Van  Cortlandt,  fronting  on  Great  George  street,  be  purchased  at  £600  per  acre,  for 
a  RESERVOIR,  provided,  that  upon  sinking  a  well  there,  good  water  be  found.  If  not,  the 
well  to  be  filled  up  by  the  Corporation. 

The  quality  of  the  water  proving  satisfactory,  on  the  25th  of  August,  the  former  reso- 
lution of  the  Board  accepting  the  proposals  of  Mr.  Colles  was  confirmed,  and  Treasury 
notes  to  the  amount  of  £2,500,  were  ordered  to  be  issued  to  meet  the  expense. 

22 


86 


MEMOIR     OF     THE 


Notes  to  that  amount  were,  accordingly,  issued  of  the  following  denominations : — 


4000  of  six  pence  each  £100 
4000  of  one  shilling  «  200 
4000  of  two  "  "  400 


4000  of  four  shillings  each      £800 
2500  of  eight      "          «          1000 


At  the  bottom  of  this  page  will  be  found  an  engraved  fac-simile  of  one  of  these  notes. 
The  back  of  the  note  represents  the  machinery  by  which  the  water  was  to  be  raised, 
undoubtedly  one  of  Newcomen's  Atmospheric  Engines,  which,  since  the  commencement 
of  the  century  had  been  in  general  use,  in  draining  mines  in  all  parts  of  Europe,  and  one 
of  which  about  1760  was  imported  by  the  proprietors  of  the  old  copper  mines  near  Belleville, 


3^- 


^£ 


T^gWQjgg 


[No.  ] 

rpH IS    NOTE    shall  entitle  the  BEARER  to  the  Sum  of 

TWO    SHILLINGS, 

current  Money  of  the  Colony  of  New-  York,  payable  on  DEMAND, 
by  the  MAYOR,  ALDERMEN,  and  COMMONALTY  of 
the  City  of  New-York,  at  the  Office  of  Chamberlain  of  the  said  City, 
pursuant  to  a  Vote  of  the  said  Mayor,  Aldermen,  and  Commonalty, 
of  this  Date.  Dated  the  Twenty-fifth  Day  of  August,  in  the  Year 
of  our  Lord  One  Thousand  Seven  Hundred  and  Seventy-four. 
By  Order  of  the  Corporation, 


CROTONAQ.UEDUCT.  87 

New- Jersey ;  this  engine  it  is  very  probable  Mr.  Colles  had  seen;  arid  designed  to  use  for 
raising  water  into  the  reservoir. 

On  the  15th  of  November,  this  entry  appears  in  the  minutes  of  the  Common 
Council : — 

The  clerk  of  the  Board  produced  three  bonds  from  the  Corporation,  two  of  which  to 
Augustus  Van  Cortlandt  and  John  Fay  for  £700,  and  the  other  to  Frederick  Van  Cort- 
landt  for  £350,  bearing  five  per  cent,  interest,  being  the  consideration  money  of  the 
ground  this  Board  purchased  for  the  Water  Works,  which  said  bonds  were  read,  approved, 
and  signed  by  Mr.  Mayor,  by  order  of  the  Common  Council. 

We  have  in  our  possession  a  copy  of  the  deeds  given  by  the  Messrs.  Van  Cortlandt's, 
for  the  land  thus  sold.  The  boundaries  are  thus  described. 

"  All  that  certain  piece  or  parcel  of  land  situated  lying  and  being  partly  in  the 
west  ward,  and  partly  in  the  out  ward  of  the  said  city,  beginning  on  the  east  side  of 
Great  George  Street,  at  the  westerrnost  corner  of  Mr.  Peter  Jay's  land,  and  runs  thence 
along  the  same,  south,  fifty-three  degrees,  east  six  chains  and  twenty  links  to  a  meadow, 
thence  along  the  meadow,  south  sixteen  degrees  and  thirty  minutes,  west  two  chains  and 
seventy-seven  links,  thence  north  fifty-three  degrees,  west  seven  chains  and  twelve  links 
to  Great  George  Street  aforesaid,  thence  along  the  east  side  thereof  north  thirty-seven 
degrees  and  thirty  minutes,  east  two  chains  and  sixty-four  links  to  the  place  of  beginning ; 
containing  one  acre  and  three  quarters  of  an  acre,  together  with  all  and  singular  the 
profits,  hereditaments,  &c.  &c." 

The  conveyance  is  to  the  Mayor,  Aldermen  and  Commonalty  of  the  city  of  New 
York,  and  their  successors  and  assigns  for  ever,  for  the  consideration  of  £1050. 

The  deeds  are  signed  on  the  eighth  day  of  October  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and 
seventy-four,  by  Augustus  Van  Cortland,  Catharine  Van  Cortland,  and  Frederick  Van 
Cortland.  The  witnesses  to  the  signature,  as  well  as  to  the  receipt  of  the  consideration 
money  £1050,  are  Frances  Van  Cortland  and  James  Van  Cortland. 

The  acknowledgement  was  taken,  on  the  same  day,  by  Henry  White,  Esq.,  one  of  his 
Majesty's  Council  for  the  State  of  New  York,  and  the  deeds  were  recorded  in  the  Office  of 
the  Secretary  of  State,  at  Albany,  on  the  25th  November,  1774 — at  the  request  of  the 
Mayor,  Aldermen  and  Commonalty  of  New  York. 

At  that  period,  Governor  Tryon  ruled  over  the  Colony,  and  among  his  other  prero- 
gatives was  that  of  appointing  the  Maydr  and  Sheriff  of  the  City.     It  may  not  be  without 
interest  at  this  day,  to  see  who  then  were  the  fathers  of  the  City.     They  were  for  1775, 
WHITEHEAD  HICKS,  Mayor. — JOHN  WATTS,  Jr.,  Esq.,  Recorder. 


Francis  Filkins, 
Benjamin  Bragge, 
Andrew  Gautier, 


Benjamin  Huggett, 

Theophilus  Hardenbroek,  ^  Assistants> 

Henry  Brevoort, 


jCXllUXCW     VHUUUC/.1.  Ai^llJ.  jr     J-»i  ^  v  vy«-n  1-, 

George  Brewerton,  Jr.,  |>  Aldermen.  Andrew  Hamersley. 

John  Dickinson, 
Jacobus  Lefferts, 
William  Waddell. 


88  MEMOIROFTHE 

An  additional  sum  of  £2,600,  was  in  this  year  ordered  to  be  issued,  as  appears  from 
this  entry. 

Common  Council,  2d  of  August  1775. — Ordered  by  the  Board,  that  a  number  of 
printed  notes  to  the  amount  of  £2600  be  immediately  struck  of  the  several  denomina- 
tions following : 

3000  of  eight  shillings      £1200 

4000  of  four         «    '  800 

5000  of  two          "  500 

2000  of  one          «  100 

Which  notes  when  signed,  are  to  be  applied  towards  carrying  on  the  New- York  Water 
Works. 

The  revolutionary  struggle  which  had  even  then  commenced,  and  of  which  the  City 
of  New- York  felt  the  full  effects,  appears  to  have  put  an  end  to  this  enterprise  for  furnish- 
ing water,  before  it  had  made  any  great  progress. 

Scarcely,  however,  had  peace  returned,  with  Liberty  and  National  Independence 
achieved,  than  our  citizens  again  busied  themselves  about  good  water. 

In  April,  1785,  Samuel  Ogden  made  proposals  to  the  Corporation  for  erecting  and 
establishing  Water  Works  to  supply  the  City.  In  January,  1786,  proposals  for  a  like 
object  were  presented  by  the  Hon.  R.  R.  Livingston  and  John  Lawrence,  Esq.  Both 
projects  were  submitted  to  a  committee,  who,  in  February,  made  a  report  thereon,  and 
concluded  with  advising,  that  the  Board  advertise  for  proposals  for  supplying  the  City 
with  water. 

This  suggestion  was  adopted ;  and  on  the  19th  of  April,  the  Clerk  informed  the 
Board,  that  he  had  received  three  sealed  packets  said  to  contain  proposals  for  supplying 
the  City  with  water.  In  this  stage  of  the  business,  the  inhabitants  seem  to  have  inter- 
fered, for  the  aldermen  and  assistants  being  called  upon  for  the  opinions  of  their  constitu- 
ents, reported  as  the  sense  of  the  people  of  their  respective  wards,  that  the  Corporation 
ought  not  to  grant  the  privilege  of  supplying  the  City  with  water  to  individuals,  but 
that  the  same  ought,  if  possible,  to  be  undertaken  by  the  Corporation. 

In  consequence  of  this  manifestation  of  public  sentiment,  it  was  ordered, — 

That  the  proposals  remain  unopened  with  the  Clerk,  until  the  further  order  of  the 
Board,  or  that  they  be  returned  at  the  option  of  the  parties  offering  them. 

Ordered,  further,  That  the  Aldermen  and  Assistants,  be  requested  to  set  on  foot, 
in  their  respective  Wards,  representations  to  this  Board,  in  writing,  and  subscribed  by 
the  citizens,  in  order,  more  fully,  to  ascertain  their  sense,  whether  the  Corporation  ought 
to  grant  to  individuals,  the  privilege  of  supplying  the  City  with  water,  or  whether  the 
same  ought  to  be  undertaken  by  the  Corporation,  and  that  the  monies  necessary  for  the 
purpose,  should  be  raised  by  tax  on  the  citizens. 


CROTONAaUEDUCT.  gg 

These  proceedings  were  ordered  to  be  published,  but,  owing  t<T  the  imperfection  of 
the  records  of  that  day,  the  result  of  the  application  to  the  people  does  not  appear, 
neither  is  there  any  trace  of  what  the  plans  proposed  by  Messrs.  Ogden,  Livingston, 
and  Lawrence,  were,  for  the  supply  of  water. 

In  January,  1788,  the  matter  was  again  agitated,  upon  the  petition  of  a  great  many 
of  the  inhabitants  of  the  city,  who  complained  of  the  want  of  a  sufficient  supply  of  water, 
and  asked  that  the  plan  of  Mr.  Colles,  for  distributing  it  by  pipes,  be  adopted,  or  any 
other  that  the  Board  might  deem  more  expedient.  Nothing  came  of  this  application. 

In  January,  1789,  a  Committee  of  the  Rumseian  Society,  in  Philadelphia,  addressed 
the  Board,  informing  them,  that  the  founder  of  their  society,  Mr.  Rumsey,  had  invented 
an  engine  superior  to  any  other  for  supplying  towns  with  water ;  that  he  was  then  apply- 
ing for  a  patent  for  his  discovery,  and  that  when  completed,  they  would  make  proposals 
to  the  Board,  for  a  contract  for  furnishing  the  city  of  New  York  with  water. 

The  Board  adopted  a  resolution  expressive  of  their  desire  to  encourage  Mr.  Rumsey's 
invention,  and  to  enter  into  a  contract  for  the  supply  of  the  city  with  water,  and  inviting 
proposals,  to  the  end,  that  if  approved,  the  necessary  preparations  might  be  made  for  pro- 
viding the  means. 

This  project  seems  to  have  had  no  farther  result,  and  we  hear  no  more  of  any 
schemes,  till,  in  February,  1792,  we  find  it  recorded  in  the  minutes  of  the  Corporation, 
Richard  Varick  being  Mayor,  that  a  proposal  was  received  from  Zebina  Curtis,  and 
others,  for  supplying  the  city  with  water,  which  was  sent  to  the  Street  Committee,  and 
there  apparently  died. 

In  March,  1795,  like  proposals  were  made  by  Amos  Porter,  and  a  specific  plan  was 
submitted  by  Samuel  Crane,  to  lead  water  from  the  tea-water  pump,  through  Roosevelt- 
street.  Another  project  was  also  presented  by  Benj.  Taylor. 

On  1st  February,  1796,  a  Committee,  consisting  of  Aldermen  Lenox,  Roosevelt,  and 
Beekman,  were  directed  to  advertise  for  proposals  for  supplying  the  city  with  water ;  they 
reported  in  December  the  proposals  received,  which  were  from  Jos.  Brown  and  associates, 
to  supply  the  city  by  means  of  pipes. 

Next  month,  January,  1797,  sealed  proposals  for  supplying  the  city  by  means  of 
pipes,  were  advertised  for,  and  in  May,  some  seven  or  eight  different  applications  were 
received  ;  among  them,  one  from  Christopher  Colles,  who  had  undertaken  the  work  in 
1774.  These  were  all  referred  to  a  committee. 

In  December,  of  next  year,  1798,  we  find  R.  J.  Roosevelt,  and  Judge  Cooper,  of  Ot- 
sego,  making  new  applications. 

On  the  17th  of  that  month,  we  have  in  the  annexed  report,  the  first  indication  that  a 
23 


9Q  MEMOIROFTHE 

supply  of  water  from*  without  the  city  was  looked  to.     Before  that,  the  waters  of  the  Col- 
lect or  of  the  tea-water  pump,  or  from  wells  dug  for  the  purpose,  had  been  relied  on. 

In  Common  Council,  December  17,  1798. 
The  following  Report  was  made  and  approved  by  the  Board  : 

The  Committee  appointed  to  investigate  the  subject  of  supplying  the  city  with 
water, — 

Report,  That  being  impressed  with  the  importance  of  the  subject,  they  have  con- 
sidered it  with  all  the  care  and  attention  in  their  power,  and  incline  to  the  opinion,  that 
the  Bronx  River  will  afford  a  copious  supply  of  pure  and  wholesome  water.  They 
incline  also  to  think  that  the  plan  suggested  by  Dr.  Jos.  Brown,  for  conveying  the  waters 
of  that  river,  is,  with  some  few  variations,  the  most  eligible  that  can  be  adopted.  But  as 
any  mistakes  in  the  plan,  or  conduct,  of  the  business,  may  be  attended  with  incalcula- 
ble mischief,  they  would  recommend  that  Mr.  Weston,  who  has  been  the  engineer  of  the 
Canal  companies  in  this  State,  and  whose  abilities  are  well  known,  be  requested  to 
examine  that  river,  with  the  situation  of  the  grounds  to  be  employed  in  the  aqueduct,  and 
such  other  matters  incident  to  the  supply  of  the  city  with  pure  and  wholesome  water 
from  that  or  any  other  source,  as  he  may  think  proper,  and  that  he  be  requested  to  report 
his  opinion  to  the  corporation,  with  the  requisite  plans  and  estimates,  as  soon  as  may  be 
practicable. 

Your  Committee  farther  Report,  That  they  have  considered  the  several  matters 
which  have  been  suggested  for  the  execution,  either  by  individuals,  or  by  the  Corpora- 
tion, of  the  plan  that  may  be  finally  adopted.  They  are  sensible  that  each  of  these  me- 
thods is  attended  with  difficulties,  but  considering  the  immense  importance  of  the  sub- 
ject to  the  comfort  and  health  of  their  fellow  citizens,  that  it  will  not  be  undertaken  by  a 
Company  unless  upon  the  prospect  of  considerable  gain,  and  that  such  gain  must  be 
acquired  at  the  expense  of  the  city,  your  Committee  have  at  length  agreed,  that  the 
undertaking  ought  to  be  pursued  by,  and  under  the  control  of,  the  Corporation,  as  the  im- 
mediate representatives  of  the  citizens  in  general. 

Under  this  impression,  and  to  avoid  any  further  delays  which  may  arise,  unless 
measures  are  taken  to  prevent  pecuniary  embarrassments,  and  other  difficulties  in  the 
course  of  the  business,  your  Committee  would  recommend,  That,  an  act  be  prepared  and 
presented  to  the  Legislature,  investing  the  Corporation  with  the  powers  necessary  to  effect 
the  great  end  they  have  in  view,  and  granting  them  the  moneys  arising  from  the  tax 
upon  the  sales  at  auction,  in  said  city,  with  such  further  aid  as  the  Legislature  may  think 
proper,  to  enable  them  by  the  reception  thereof,  or  by  loans  founded  thereon,  to  defray 
the  expenses  incident  to  the  undertaking. 

JNO.  B.  COLES, 

New-York,  December  17,  1798.  GABRIEL  FURMAN, 

JNO.  BOGART, 
JACOB  DE  LA  MONTAGNIE. 

This  Report  was  accepted,  and  the  Mayor  was  directed  to  write  to  Mr.  Weston.  A 
law,  such  as  contemplated  by  the  Report,  was  prepared  by  the  Recorder,  Richard  Harri- 


C  ROT  ON    AdUEDUCT.  91 

son  Esq.,  approved  by  the  Board,  and  confided  to  the  members  of  the  Legislature  from 
the  city  ;  and  500  copies  of  the  proceedings  of  the  Board,  and  of  Dr.  Brown's  project  for 
supplying  the  city  with  water  were  ordered  to  be  printed  in  pamphlets. 

This  looked  like  earnest;  and  as  Mr.  Weston  accepted  the  appointment,  and  in 
March,  1799,  made  a  favorable  report  on  the  practicability  and  sufficiency  of  the  supply 
from  the  Bronx  river,  as  recommended  by  Dr.  Brown,  the  way  seemed  clear  for  at  once 
undertaking  the  work. 

The  memorial  of  Dr.  Brown,  argued  the  question  on  the  score  of  health,  safety,  and 
comfort.  The  yellow  fever  had  made  great  ravages  in  the  city,  and  Dr.  Brown,  who 
believed  in  the  domestic  origin  of  the  disease,  demonstrated  that  its  virulence  was  much 
aggravated  by  the  insufficiency  of  the  supply  of  water,  and  its  impure  quality.  He  declares 
emphatically,  "  I  do  not  presume  to  say  that  the  introduction  of  a  large  quantity  of  water 
into  the  city,  would  alone  prevent  the  rise  and  spreading  of  putrid  diseases,  but  I  am  well 
warranted  in  saying  that,  under  Providence,  it  would,  more  than  all  other  things,  contribute 
to  this  most  desirable  end."  He  also  dwells  upon  the  comparative  immunity  from  fire, 
which  such  a  supply  would  afford. 

The  preference  of  the  great  mass  of  the  inhabitants  at  that  time,  as  appears  both  by 
Dr.  Brown's  memorial,  and  Mr.  Weston's  report,  was  for  the  waters  of  the  Collect,  owing, 
mainly,  to  their  superior  coolness.  This  preference  both  these  gentlemen  earnestly  resist. 

Dr.  Brown  thus  discourses  concerning  it : 

"  The  large  stagnating,  filthy  pond,  commonly  called  the  Collect,  which  now  is,  or 
soon  will  be,  the  centre  of  the  city,  has  been  looked  to  by  some  people,  as  a  fund  from 
whence  an  adequate  supply  might  be  obtained,  by  means  of  a  steam  engine,  for  all  the 
purposes  already  spoken  of.  I  cannot  undertake  to  say,  that  this  source  would  at  present 
be  incompetent  to  all  the  preceding  purposes,  for  which  a  supply  of  water  is  wanted  ;  but 
if  the  quantity  naturally  discharged  from  this  pond,  be  the  whole  that  is  furnished  by  its 
springs,  then  I  might  say  with  propriety,  it  is  infinitely  too  small  for  those  uses.  But  ad- 
mitting, that  at  present  it  might  be  competent,  the  time  will  come,  and  that  very  shortly, 
from  the  growth  of  the  city,  when  this  source  will  most  certainly  be  very  inadequate  to 
the  demand.  And  again,  supposing  the  pond  to  contain  and  furnish  enough,  it  is  a  con- 
sideration well  deserving  attention,  whether  a  pond,  into  which  the  filth  from  many  of  the 
streets  must,  without  very  great  expense  and  care,  be  constantly  discharged,  and  to  which 
the  contents  of  vaults,  &c.,  will  continually  drain,  is  a  desirable  source  from  whence  we 
should  like  to  take  water  for  drinking,  cooking,  &c.,  without  taking  into  the  account  its 
noxious  qualities,  medically  considered  ;  although  it  may  be  laid  down  as  a  general  rule, 
that  the  health  of  a  city  depends  more  on  its  water,  than  all  the  rest  of  the  eatables  and 
drinkables  put  together." 

Mr.  Weston,  in  like  manner,  says  : — "  It  remains  to  examine  the  competency  of  the 
waters  of  the  Collect.  The  general  bias  of  opinion  seems  to  lean  in  favor  of  this  scheme ; 


92  MEMOIROFTHE 

and  if  it  can  be  made  satisfactorily  to  appear,  that  the  required  supply  can  be  obtained 
from  this  source,  I  am  ready  to  allow  that  it  is  a  work,  that  would  be  soonest  accomp]  ish  • 
ed,  and  attended  with  the  least  expense.  But  we  ought  to  be  extremely  cautious  in  ha- 
zarding an  experiment,  where  the  cost  would  be  so  great,  and  the  event  so  doubtful.  The 
question  is  of  infinite  importance,  and  unfortunately,  one  that  cannot  be  determined  by  ab- 
stract reasoning.  The  capacity  of  the  Collect,  has  been  attempted  to  be  proved,  by  its 
present  extent ;  but  that,  in  my  mind,  is  a  most  fallacious  mode  of  reasoning  ;  for  however 
great  that  may  be,  a  powerful  steam  engine  would  soon  exhaust  it,  unless  replenished 
with  numerous  and  copious  springs.  On  these  alone,  therefore,  it  is  evident  we  must  de 
pend  ;  and  I  know  of  no  other  mode  of  estimating  their  combined  effect,  than  by  calcu- 
lating the  quantity  of  water  issuing  from  the  outlet  of  the  Collect ;  which  even  at  this 
time  is  so  inconsiderable  as  scarce  to  deserve  attention,  and  if  my  information  is  correct,  it 
ceases  to  flow  altogether  in  the  summer.  I  am  sensible  that  we  should  not  too  hastily 
conclude  that  the  above  is  the  total  amount  of  the  supply  that  may  be  derived  from  this 
source ;  I  think  it  very  probable,  that  from  the  nature  of  the  surrounding  ground,  (which 
is  a  coarse  and  porous  gravel,)  a  considerable  portion  thereof,  may  percolate  through,  into 
the  adjacent  rivers.  Much,  and  perhaps  the  greatest  quantity,  is  also  daily  drawn  off  by 
the  Tea- Water  Pump ;  which,  from  its  vicinity,  I  have  no  doubt  is  supplied  from  the  same 
source. 

It  is  true,  that  by  sinking  deeper  into  the  earth,  an  augmentation  of  quantity  would 
be  procured ;  yet  if  we  went  lower  than  the  surface  of  the  tide-water,  I  apprehend  that 
the  quality  would  be  materially  injured.  Leaving  the  question,  as  I  fear  it  will  remain 
undetermined,  we  next  proceed  to  examine  the  quality  of  the  respective  waters.  To 
appreciate  their  merits  fairly,  we  should  judge  of  their  utility,  by  the  extent  of  their  ap- 
plication. Proceeding  on  this  ground,  I  believe  it  may  be  safely  affirmed,  that  the  water 
of  the  Bronx,  is  at  least  equal  to  that  of  the  Collect ;  though  this  is  contrary  to  the  gene- 
ral opinion.  The  only  reason  that  I  can  perceive  for  the  preference  usually  given  to  the 
last  mentioned,  arises  solely  from  its  superior  coolness.  However  grateful  this  may  be  to 
our  feelings,  it  does  not  follow  that  it  is  equally  conducive  to  health  ;  for  whatever  degree 
of  purity  it  may  now  possess,  the  period  is  not  very  remote,  when  from  the  natural  increase 
of  the  city,  these  springs  must  be  subject  to  those  contaminations  which  have  already 
rendered  so  many  wells  unfit  for  use,  an  evil  that  is  daily  increasing,  and  to  which  no  ef- 
fectual remedy  can  be  applied  ;  this  to  me  has  ever  appeared  an  insurmountable  objection. 
The  idea  of  supplying  a  large  city  with  pure  water,  from  a  reservoir  in -its  centre,  has  al- 
ways seemed  very  strange  to  me." 

The  Bronx  river  was  the  source  whence  both  Dr.  Brown  and  Mr.  Weston  recommend- 
ed that  the  supply  of  water  should  be  drawn. 


CROTONAdUEDUCT.  93 

Dr.  B.,  however,  greatly  underrated  the  quantity  needed,  and  still  more  greatly,  the 
expense  of  the  work.  He  considered  362,800  gallons  as  an  ample  daily  supply,  and 
$200.000  as  the  utmost  expenditure  required  for  bringing  the  Bronx  to  the  city,  for  laying 
down  twenty  miles  of  pipes  in  the  streets,  and  erecting  two  public  fountains. 

His  plan  is  thus  briefly  described  in  his  memorial : 

"About  half  a  mile  below  Williams'  Bridge,  over  the  Bronx,  is  a  piece  of  low  mea- 
dow ground,  in  which  rise  two  springs,  one  of  which  runs  easterly  and  empties  itself 
into  the  Bronx,  and  not  more  than  four  hundred  yards  from  its  origin.  The  other  spring 
empties  itself  into  the  Harlem  river,  traversing  a  distance  of  about  six  miles.  The  place 
on  which  those  springs  originate,  are  not  more  than  five  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Bronx  ; 
mid  sometimes  part  of  the  river,  when  raised  by  a  considerable  freshet,  has  run  over  part 
of  this  meadow  and  emptied  itself  into  the  Harlem  river.  From  these  reasons,  then,  it  is 
obvious,  that  by  building  a  dam  five  feet  high  across  the  Bronx,  and  below  where  the  first 
mentioned  spring  empties  itself  into,  and  by  digging  a  canal  four  hundred  yards  in  length, 
through  the  meadow,  the  whole  of  the  Bronx  might  be,  if  necessary,  diverted  from  its  old 
route  and  thrown  in  to  Harlem  river,  and  about  eight  miles  distant  from  the  City  Hall." 

The  spring  to  which  he  alludes,  is  the  Morrissania  creek.  The  point  at  which  the 
work  was  to  commence  is  fifty  feet  above  tide,  and  the  City  Hall  was  the  old  building  in 
Wall-street.  He  also  says  : — 

"When  I  first  interested  myself  on  this  subject,  I  was  in  hopes  a  place  sufficiently 
high  might  have  been  found,  from  whence  the  waters  of  the  Bronx  could  have  been 
conducted  to  New  York,  in  pipes  of  conduit,  without  any  previous  machinery ;  but 
I  am  now  satisfied  no  such  place  exists,  for  although  water  in  an  open  aqueduct  will  run 
with  tolerable  fluency,  having  only  six  inches  fall  in  the  mile,  yet  in  a  pipe,  or  conduit, 
it  requires  five  feet  fall  to  produce  the  same  effect;  and  even  this  fall  is  insufficient 
where  the  pipes  of  conduit  are  of  considerable  length  and  of  small  diameter  ,for  the  friction 
that  is  occasioned  by  the  sides  of  the  pipe  of  conduit,  is  in  a  quadruple  ratio  with  its 
length.  Now  as  the  ground  in  the  city  of  New  York,  to  which  water  ought  to  be  con- 
veyed to  a  principal  reservoir,  is  about  forty  feet  above  high  tide,  which  is  ten  feet  only  be- 
low the  level  of  the  river  Bronx,  where  it  may  be  diverted,  I  consider  it  a  fall  perfectly 
inadequate  to  any  design  of  conveying  the  water  in  a  line  of  pipes  ;  it  then  becomes  ne- 
cessary, that  the  water  of  the  Bronx  should  be  elevated  by  the  means  of  some  ma- 
chinery." 

By  this  plan  the  water  was  to  be  elevated  eighty  feet  above  the  level  of  Harlem  river  ; 
the  machinery  for  the  purpose,  was  to  be  propelled  by  the  surplus  water  from  the  Bronx, 
which  was  estimated  to  discharge  1200  cubic  feet,  or  7400  ale  gallons  per  minute. 
There  was  to  be  one  water  wheel  of  20  feet  diameter,  and  four  forcing  pumps  of  six  inch 
bore,  which  would,  it  was  calculated,  pump  up  the  required  quantity  of  362,800  gallons  in 
'  the  24  hours.     This  was  to  be  delivered  into  a  reservoir  at  the  Dove,  a  public  house  about 
five  miles  from  the  city,  and  thence  conveyed  by  pipes,  to  a  distributing  reservoir  to  be 
constructed  in  the  Park,  or  some,  then  open  ground,  north  of  the  Hospital, 
24 


94  MEMOIROFTHE 

Mr.  Weston's  plan  was  to  take  the  water  of  the  Bronx  river,  at  Lorillard's  snuff  factory, 
to  raise  a  dam  six  feet  high,  which  would  turn  the  water  through  a  low  swamp  into  Mill 
brook,  to  follow  the  north  bank  for  three  miles,  and  then  to  cross  in  an  aqueduct  to  its  op- 
posite side,  and  continue  that  level  to  the  Harlem  river.  He  states  the  distance  to  be  from 
the  Bronx  to  the  Park,  14  miles  and  7  furlongs,  and  the  descent  twenty-three  feet.  He 
says,  "  It  appears  from  examinations  that  have  been  recently  made,  that  the  Bronx  is  suf- 
ficiently elevated  above  the  highest  parts  of  the  city  to  introduce  its  waters  therein  with- 
out the  use  of  machinery,  and  the  intermediate  ground,  though  very  irregular,  presents  no 
obstacles  which  art  and  industry  may  not  surmount."  He  also  says,  "  An  absolute  ne- 
cessity to  preserve  a  regular  and  uniform  descent,  leaves  us  little  room  in  the  choice  of  our 
route,  which  will  be  chiefly  along  the  shore  of  the  North  river." 

Mr.  Weston  estimated  that  the  city  would  require  3,000,000  gallons  of  water  a  clay. 
He  states  that  the  Little  Rye  pond  contained  fifty  acres,  and  the  Big  Rye  pond,  five  hun- 
dred acres  ;  those  ponds  he  proposed  to  convert  into  reservoirs,  by  building  a  dam  six  feet 
high,  which  would  make  more  than  six  hundred  acres,  and  would  contain  959,713,920 
gallons,  would  afford  an  annual  supply  of  8,000,000  of  gallons  for  one  hundred  and 
twenty  days,  and  leave  a  surplus  of  5,000,000  of  gallons  for  the  mills.  It  will,  however,  be 
remarked,  that  he  estimated  the  area  of  the  ponds  double  what  they  actually  present.  The 
water  was  to  be  brought  in  an  open  canal  to  the  Harlem  river ;  that  stream  was  to  be  crossed 
by  a  cast  iron  cylinder  of  two  feet  diameter,  with  a  descent  of  eight  feet.  His  reservoirs  were 
to  be  divided  into  three  parts,  and  two  of  them  again  subdivided.  The  first  two  divisions 
he  called  the  reception  apartments,  which  were  to  be  filled  with  the  water  from  the  cylin- 
ders ;  while  one  was  filling,  the  other  would  deposite  the  impure  particles  contained  in  the 
water.  In  every  twenty-four  hours,  one  of  these  chambers  was  to  be  drawn  off  in  one  of 
the  subdivisions,  which  he  called  the  reservoir  of  filtration,  and  from  thence  into  the 
division  of  distribution,  after  percolating  through  a  bank  of  gravel  and  loose  sand ;  this 
last  division  of  the  reservoir  was  to  be  arched  over  to  insure  its  coolness. 

Mr.  Weston  offered  no  estimates  of  the  cost  of  the  work  he  recommended,  but  urged 
very  earnestly,  that  no  time  should  be  lost  in  securing,  at  any  rate,  the  right  to  use  the  Bronx 
fiver,  Avhich  then  might,  as  he  supposed,  be  had  for  a  reasonable  compensation  ;  but  which 
from  the  great  advantages  for  manufacturing  purposes  that  it  offered,  and  its  proximity  to 
the  city,  he  argued  would  rise  very  much  in  value. 

It  is  deserving  of  notice,  that  among  the  various  uses  to  which,  Mr.  Weston  says 
the  surplus  water  might  be  applied,  he  specially  instances,  ^  the  supply  of  dry  docks, 
which  may  be  constructed  to  receive  the  largest  ships." 

When  all  appeared  to  be  thus  ready  and  ripe  for  the  accomplishment,  by  the  Corpo- 


CROTONAQ.UEDUCT,  95 

ration,  of  a  work  so  long  projected — private  interest  stepped  in,  and  paralyzed  the  whole 
proceeding. 

It  was  at  this  period,  that  Aaron  Burr*  had  conceived  the  plan  of  organising  an  associa- 
tion, which,  on  the  condition  of  accomplishing  what  was  so  ardently  desired — the  sup- 
plying the  city  with  pure  and  wholesome  water,  should  obtain  from  the  Legislature 
the  concession,  in  perpetuity,  of  banking  privileges.  The  provision  to  this  latter  effect 
was,  indeed,  skilfully  kept  out  of  prominent  view  ;  the  great  object  purporting  to  be  the 
supply  of  water ;  the  surplus  only  of  the  capital,  after  effecting  this  object,  was  to  be 
employed  in  banking  operations. 

•  These  views  of  private  interest  and  speculation,  were  aided  by  the  real  difficulty,  which 
intelligent  and  practical  men  apprehended,  in  raising  the  money  needed  for  such  an  under- 
taking as  the  introduction  of  the  Bronx  river  into  the  city,  and  hence  with  that  of  Aaron 
Burr,  we  see  associated  the  names  of  Alexander  Hamilton,  Gulian  Verplanck,  John  Murray, 
and  others,  in  remonstrance  to  the  Common  Council  against  the  bill  they  had  sent  to 
the  Legislature,  asking  for  authority  to  execute  the  work. 

We  shall  stand  excused,  by  the  interest  of  the  subject  and  the  great  names  involved, 
for  copying  in  detail  from  the  city  records,  the  particulars  and  result  of  this  influence. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Common  Council,  held  25th  February,  1799  : 

25th  February. — The  Mayor,  Richard  Varick,  informed  the  Board  that  on  Friday 
last,  Mr.  Burr,  one  of  the  members  from  this  city  in  the  Assembly,  together  with  John 
Murray,  Esq.,  as  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Gulian  Verplanck,  Esq.,  as 
President  of  the  Office  of  Discount  and  Dcposite  of  the  Bank  of  the  United  States,  in  this 
city,  Peter  H.  Wendover,  as  President  of  the  Mechanics'  Society,  together  with  Major 
General  Hamilton  and  John  Broome,  Esq.,  according  to  an  appointment  by  Mr.  Burr, 
called  on  him,  and  stated  to  him,  in  presence  of  the  Recorder,  who  was  also  requested  to 
attend  for  the  purpose,  that  great  difficulties  had  arisen  in  the  minds  of  members  of  the 
Legislature,  touching  the  power  requested  to  be  vested  in  their  Board,  by  the  bill  for 
supplying  the  city  with  water,  and  the  bill  for  investing  the  Board  with  adequate  powers 
in  relation  to  the  health  of  the  city,  and  that  it  was  problematical  whether  those  bills  could 
pass  in  the  form  proposed,  and  he  therefore  submitted  the  propriety  of  this  Board  requesting 
the  Legislature,  if  these  bills  respectively  should  not  be  deemed  proper  in  the  form  pro- 
posed, that  the  Legislature  should  make  such  provisions  on  the  several  subjects  thereof,  as 
to  them  should  appear  most  eligible. 

That  after  some  conversation  with  Mr.  Burr  and  the  other  gentlemen  accompanying 
him,  the  Recorder  and  himself  requested  that  the  proposition  might  be  stated  in  writing, 
to  be  communicated  to  the  Board  as  on  this  day  ;  and  Mr.  Recorder  now  laid  before  the 
Board  a  paper  without  signature,  which  he  stated  to  the  Board  he  had  received  from  Major 
General  Hamilton,  as  the  proposition  for  their  consideration  this  day,  which  being  read — 

Resolved,  that  before  the  Board  proceed  upon  the  said  propositions,  they  ought  to  be 

*  Mr.  Burr  was  then  one  of  the  members  of  Assembly  from  this  city,  and  was  employing  the  influence 
of  his  station,  and  all  the  address  by  which  he  was  characterized,  in  obtaining,  under  the  pretext  of  furnishing 
water  to  the  city,  perpetual  corporate  powers  for  a  Bank. 


95  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

sanctioned  by  the  signature  of  the  parties  recommending  the  same,  and  that  the  nature 
and  circumstances  of  the  difficulties  which  have  attended  the  several  applications  on 
behalf  of  the  Board  to  the  Legislature  should  also  be  stated. 

Resolved,  Further,  that  the  above  resolution  be  communicated  to  Mr.  Burr,  and  Major 
General  Hamilton,  without  delay,  and  as  the  objects  above  alluded  to  are  of  great  import- 
ance to  the  welfare  of  the  city,  the  Mayor  be  requested  to  call  a  special  meeting  of  the 
Board,  as  soon  as  he  shall  receive  the  proper  communication  in  consequence  of  the  above 
resolution. 

2Sth  February.— Mr.  Mayor  laid  before  the  Board  a  letter  from  Major  General 
Hamilton,  together  with  a  written  communication  from  him,  which  were  read  in  the 
words  following : 

New-  York,  February  26,  1799. 

DEAR  SIR  : — I  last  night  received  your  letter,  dated  yesterday  ;  the  resolutions  of  the- 
Common  Council  discover  a  mistake  as  to  the  character  under  which  the  gentlemen 
named  in  them,  made  their  communication  to  yourself  and  the  Recorder. 

They  did  not  pretend  to  appear  in  an  official  capacity,  but  intended  to  be  considered 
merely  as  private  individuals.  As  such  they  gave  information  which  they  thought 
might  be  useful  to  the  city.  Specific  propositions  in  writing  were  requested  from,  not 
proposed  by,  them ;  they  were  sent  in  an  informal  shape,  because  it  was  not  meant  to 
attach  formality  to  their  interposition.  Having  been  digested  by  me,  as  the  sum  of  a 
previous  conversation  among  ourselves,  I  have  no  objection  to  authenticate  them  by  my 
signature — and  I  freely  add,  that  the  changes  in  the  plan  of  the  Corporation,  which  they 
suggest,  have  the  full  concurrence  of  my  opinion, 

With  respect  and  esteem, 

I  am,  dear  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

RICHARD  VARICK,  ESQ..  A.  HAMILTON. 

Communication  accompanying  this  Letter. 

Among  the  objects  agreed  on  all  hands  to  be  necessary  towards  preserving  the  city 
from  pestilential  disease,  are  the  following : 

I.  The  conveyance  of  water  in  pipes  through  every  part  of  this  city,  as  well  for  the 
more  convenient  cleaning  and  washing  of  streets,  alleys  and  lanes,  as  for  the  supply  of 
the  inhabitants.  Then  follow  four  other  provisions  as  to  draining  low  grounds,  filling  up 
slips,  &c. 

As  to  the  first  point,  the  plan  proposed  by  the  Corporation  is,  that  the  business  shall 
be  executed  by  the  Corporation  for  their  own  benefit ;  and  that,  towards  enabling  them 
to  do  this,  the  Legislature  shall  grant  to  them  for  a  term  of  years  the  revenue  arising  from 
sales  at  auction.  No  other  fund  is  indicated  by  the  bill.  Probably  it  is  contemplated 
that  loans  may  be  obtained  on  the  foundation  of  the  revenue  to  arise  from  the  supply  of 
water,  and  the  deficiency,  if  any,  may  be  made  up  by  taxes  on  the  city. 

The  success  of  this  plan  is  problematical.  It  is  doubtful  whether  the  J  .legislature 
diminished,  as  are  some  of  the  sources  of  the  revenue  on  which  it  has  for  some  time 
relied,  will  be  willing  to  grant  the  fund  arising  from  auctions  for  the  -profit  of  the  Corpo- 
ration, for  such  a  term  as  will  make  it  go  far  towards  accomplishing  the  object.  Compu- 
ting its  annual  amount  at  $30,000,  if  granted  for  20  years,  which  is  as  much  as  can  be 
hoped,  it  would  be  equal  only  to  a  capital  of  $344,097,  60,  interest  at  6  per  cent, 


CROTONAdUEDUCT.  97 

But  it  is  hardly  to  be  expected  that  money  can  be  borrowed  at  so  low  a  rate.  How 
far  short  will  this  be  of  the  sum  probably  requisite  ?  This  cannot  be  safely  estimated  at 
less  than  a  million  of  dollars,  if  the  business  be  done  on  a  scale  sufficiently  extensive. 

The  amount  of  the  revenue,  to  result  from  the  supply  of  the  water,  must  be  for  some 
time  uncertain,  and  under  this  uncertainty,  extensive  loans  on  this  basis  ought  not  to  be 
counted  on.  To  raise  what  may  be  wanted,  by  taxes,  to  carry  on  the  enterprise  with 
vigor,  might  be  found  so  burthensome  to  the  citizens,  as  to  occasion  the  operation  to 
languish. 

It  is  not  to  be  doubted,  that  it  will  promote  the  convenience  of  the  citizens,  and 
secure  the  final  success  of  the  object,  to  let  in  the  aid  of  a  capital  to  be  created  by  the 
voluntary  contributions  of  individuals. 

This  may  be  obtained  on  a  plan  like  the  following : 

Let  a  company  be  incorporated,  of  all  those  who  shall  subscribe  to  the  fund,  with  a 
capital  not  exceeding  a  million  of  dollars,  to  be  composed  of  shares  of  $50  each ;  the 
affairs  of  which  to  be  managed  by  seven  Directors,  annually  chosen  by  the  subscribers, 
except  that  the  Recorder  of  the  city,  for  the  time  being,  always  shall  be  one. 

Of  this  capital,  a  privilege  to  be  reserved  to  the  Corporation  of  the  city  to  subscribe 
for  any  number  of  shares  not  exceeding  one  third  ;  to  enable  them  to  do  which,  a  grant 
of  the  auction  duties  to  continue  to  be  solicited,  and  a  power  to  be  asked  to  raise  on  the 
city,  an  annual  revenue  equal  to  the  interest  and  gradual  reimbursement  of  the  principal 
of  such  additional  loans  as  may  be  found  necessary. 

The  Company  to  have  powers  similar  to  those  which  the  draft  of  the  bill  contem- 
plates to  be  given  to  the  Corporation. 

The  residue  of  this  paper,  which  is  signed  Alexander  Hamilton,  relates  to  the 
health  laws,  &c. 

After  the  communication  was  read,  the  Board  came  to  the  following  determination  : 

Whereas,  By  the  Report  of  a  Joint  Committee  from  this  Board,  from  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  and  from  the  Medical  Society,  with  the  Commissioners  of  the  Health  Office, 
dated  14th  January  last,  a  variety  of  regulations  and  improvements  in  this  city  were 
recommended  as  of  primary  importance  to  the  health  and  welfare  of  the  inhabitants ;  and 
whereas,  the  introduction  of  a  copious  supply  of  pure  and  wholesome  water  into  the  city 
has  long  been  contemplated  by  the  Board,  and  is  esteemed  by  the  said  Committee,  "  one 
of  the  most  powerful  means  of  removing  the  causes  of  pestilential  diseases  ;"  and  whereas, 
the  Board,  in  order  to  carry  the  objects  of  the  said  Report  into  effect,  and  with  a  view  to 
obtain  such  supply  of  fresh  water  for  the  benefit  of  the  citizens  in  general,  and  in  pursu- 
ance of  the  recommendation  of  said  Committee,  has  directed  certain  bills  to  be  prepared 
and  submitted  to  the  Legislature,  by  means  of  which,  the  care  and  duties  of  this  Board, 
as  such,  would  be  considerably  extended,  and  the  members  thereof,  be  subjected  to  great 
additional  trouble,  without  any  emolument  to  themselves  ;  and  whereas,  objections  have 
arisen  to  the  said  bills,  upon  the  ground,  that  a  Company  would  be  best  adapted  to  the 
business  of  supplying  the  city  with  water,  &c. 

Resolved,  That  this  Board  is  truly  anxious  that  the  measures  recommended  by  the 
said  Joint  Committee,  and  every  other  measure  which  may  promote  the  health  and  wel- 
fare of  the  city,  be  pursued  in  the  way  that  may  be  most  likely  to  secure  these  important 
ends ;  and  although  the  members  of  this  Board  have  not  been  unwilling  to  subject  them- 

25 


98  MEMOIROFTHE 

selves  to  great  trouble  and  responsibility  from  a  sense  of  duty,  yet  having  no  private  mo- 
tives to  wish  for  any  peculiar  agency  in  the  business,  they  will  be  perfectly  satisfied  if 
the  objects  in  view  are  pursued  in  any  way  that  the  Legislature  may  think  proper,  by 
which  their  fellow-citizens  may  be  benefited  in  the  most  easy,  safe,  and  effectual  method, 
and  the  charter  rights  of  the  city  remain  inviolate. 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  the  above  resolutions,  under  the  Common  Seal,  together 
with  the  papers  and  proceedings  of  the  Board,  relating  to  the  subject,  be  transmitted  to 
such  members  of  the  Board  as  are  at  present  in  the  Legislature. 

This  seems  to  have  removed  the  chief  obstacle  to  the  success  of  Mr.  Burr's  plan  for 
obtaining  a  charter  for  the  Manhattan  Company.  The  sequel  may  be  best  told  by  again 
referring  to,  and  quoting  from,  the  minutes  of  the  Common  Council. 

Under  the  dates  respectively  annexed,  we  find  the  following  entries : 

loth  April.  A  letter  from  D.  Ludlow,  Esq.,  President  of  a  Company  lately  estab- 
lished by  law,  called  the  Manhattan  Company,  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  this  city 
with  water,  together  with  a  copy  of  their  charter,  were  respectively  read,  and  the  consid- 
eration of  the  steps  to  be  taken  by  this  Board  thereon  was  postponed  till  next  meeting. 

22d  April.  The  Board  having  determined  nem.  con.,  to  subscribe  for '  the  2000 
shares  reserved  for  the  Corporation  by  the  Charter  of  the  Manhattan  Company,  resolved 
as  follows  : 

Whereas,  By  an  act  of  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  New  York,  passed  2d  April, 
inst,  entitled  an  act,  for  supplying  the  city  of  New  York  with  pure  and  wholesome 
water,  "  it  is  among  other  things  enacted,  that  it  shall  and  may  be  lawful  for  the  Mayor, 
Aldermen,  and  Commonalty  of  the  city  of  New  York,  to  subscribe  to  the  stock  of  the 
President  and  Directors  of  the  Manhattan  Company,  any  number  of  shares,  not  exceed- 
ing 2000,  and  whereas,  this  Board  have,  as  aforesaid,  resolved  to  subscribe  to  the  said 
stock,  2000  shares. 

Therefore,  Resolved,  That  the  Treasurer,  or  Chamberlain,  of  the  city,  be  and  he  is 
hereby  authorised  and  empowered  for,  in  the  name,  and  on  account  and  behalf  of  the 
Mayor,  Aldermen,  and  Commonalty  of  the  city  of  New  York,  and  their  successors,  to  sub- 
scribe 2000  shares  to  the  said  stock,  as  aforesaid,  and  at  the  time  of  said  subscription,  to 
pay  to  the  said  Company,  such  sum  or  sums  of  money  on  account  of  such  shares,  as  may 
be  required  by  the  said  act,  and  the  rules,  orders,  and  regulations  of  the  said  Company. 

Ordered,  That  a  copy  of  this  resolution,  with  the  Common  Seal  affixed  and  sub- 
scribed by  Mr.  Mayor,  on  behalf  of  the  Board,  be  delivered  to  the  Treasurer  or  Chamber- 
lain. 

Ordered,  That  a  loan  of  $5000  be  made  of  the  Bank  of  New- York,  and  that  a  bond 
for  the  payment  thereof,  with  interest  at  6  per  cent.,  be  made  with  the  Common  Seal 
affixed  and  subscribed  by  Mr.  Mayor  on  behalf  of  this  Board.  - 

Thus  for  the  contingent  profit  upon  2000  shares  of  the  stock  in  this  Company,  the 
Corporation  parted  with  the  power,  which,  from  1785  up  to  1799,  repeated  expressions  of 
opinion,  both  by  the  people  and  by  the  Common  Council,  had  declared,  should  of  right, 


CROTON    AQUEDUCT.  99 

be  exercised  only  by  the  public  authorities  of  the  city — that  of  procuring  and  distributing 
a  supply  of  pure  and  wholesome  water. 

From  this  time  forth,  for  many  years,  no  serious  attempt  was  again  made  to  effect 
the  great  object,  which  had  so  long  occupied  the  attention  of  the  citizens,  and  their  rulers. 
It  was  indeed  soon  felt  that  the  promise  of  a  supply  from  the  Manhattan  water  was  delu- 
sive. Although  privileged  by  their  charter  to  go  over  the  whole  island  of  New  York, 
and  into  West  Chester  County,  to  seek  for  good  water,  the  Company  contented  them- 
selves with  sinking  a  large  well  at  the  corner  of  Duane  and  Cross-streets,  in  one  of  the 
most  thickly  settled  portions  of  the  city,  and  thence  pumped  up  that  which  they  called 
pure  and  wholesome  water,  but  which  was  necessarily  most  impure. 

This  Company,  moreover,  confined  the  supply  to  the  letter  of  the  contract,  for  at 
a  season  when  pestilence  was  apprehended,  the  water,  by  order  of  the  then  Mayor,  Ed- 
ward Livingston,  being  used  to  cleanse  the  streets,  we  find  this  entry  in  the  minutes : 

Common  Council,  19th  August,  1802. 

A  resolution  was  passed  appropriating  $750,  to  compensate  the  Manhattan  Company 
for  cleaning  the  gutters  with  water  from  their  reservoir. 

In  1804,  indeed,  under  the  mayoralty  of  De  Witt  Clinton,  another  effort  was  made, 
and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  report  upon  the  practicability  of  supplying  the  city 
with  pure  and  wholesome  water,  and  especially  to  confer  with  the  Manhattan  Company 
as  to  the  terms  upon  which  they  would  cede  to  the  Corporation  their  works  and  privileges 
of  supplying  water  ;  but  nothing  seems  to  have  come  of  it. 

"From  that  period  up  to  the  year  1816,  the  whole  subject  was  apparently  lost  sight  of, 
notwithstanding  that  for  several  of  the  intervening  years,  the  growth  of  the  city  was 
more  rapid,  and  its  prosperity,  and  increase  in  wealth,  more  obvious  than  ever  before. 

In  1812,  the  causes  of  dissatisfaction  between  this  country  and  Great  Britain,  which 
had  long  been  gathering  strength  and  irritation,  resulted  in  war.  At  such  a  season  all 
local  enterprises  requiring  credit  and  capital  were  postponed. 

Early  in  1816 — peace  having  been  concluded  at  Ghent,  in  December,  1814 — the 
subject  of  supplying  the  city  with  water  was  resumed,  and  at  a  meeting  of  the  Com- 
mon Council  in  March — Jacob  Radcliff  being  Mayor — a  committee  was  appointed,  "  to 
consider  and  report  upon  the  propriety  of  making  an  application  to  the  Legislature  at 
their  present  session,  to  invest  the  Mayor,  Aldermen,  and  Commonalty  of  the  city  with 
all  necessary  powers  and  authority  to  supply  the  city  with  water." 

This  movement  would  seem  to  have  had  no  results,  at  least  the  minutes  show  no 
report  from  the  committee,  nor  is  there,  until  1819,  any  farther  mention  made  of  the  gene- 
ral subject. 


!00  MEMOIROPTHE 

In  August  of  that  year,  C.  C.  Golden  being-  Mayor,  a  memorial  from  Robert  Macomb 
was  presented,  for  permission  to  supply  the  city  with  water  for  all  domestic  purposes,  and 
asking  the  appointment  of  a  committee — and  one  was  appointed — to  confer  with  him. 

Early  in  the  ensuing  spring,  the  committee  reported  that  they  had  repeated  confer- 
ences with  Mr.  Macomb,  and  being  satisfied  that  he  and  his  associates  had  the  requisite 
means  to  carry  their  project  into  effect,  they  reported  resolutions  to  this  effect: 

Resolved,  That  Robert  Macomb,  and  his  associates,  be  permitted  to  lay  down  pipes 
in  the  roads  and  streets  of  this  city,  whenever  it  appears  to  the  Common  Council  that  a 
sufficient  quantity  of  water  is  collected  at  a  reservoir  at  Harlem  river;  provided,  that  in 
so  doing,  they  do  not  interfere  with  the  rights  of  others. 

Resolved,  That  Robert  Macomb,  and  his  associates,  shall  bind  themselves  and  their 
successors,  in  a  contract  with  the  Common  Council,  to  transfer  at  any  time  when  required, 
after  the  expiration  of  40  years  from  the  completion  of  the  water  works,  all  right  and 
interest  therein,  to  the  Mayor,  Aldermen,  and  Commonalty  of  the  city,  for  which,  they 
shall  receive  the  cost  of  constructing  the  said  water- works,  after  deducting  a  proper  allow- 
ance for  use  and  wear. 

Resolved^  That  the  Committee  on  lands  and  places,  together  with  the  Counsel  of 
the  Board,  be  instructed  to  prepare  a  contract,  and  make  arrangements  with  Robert  Ma- 
comb and  his  associates,  in  conformity  with  the  preceding  resolutions,  and  report  the 
same  to  this  Board,  and  that  no  rights  or  privileges  be  conveyed  by  these  resolutions,  but 
only  by  the  contract  contemplated  to  be  entered  into. 

JOHN  HONE, 
J.  B.  TAYLOR, 
W.  A.  DAVIS, 
R.  MCQUEEN. 

These  resolutions  were  agreed  to  ;  an  amendment  having  been  adopted,  on  motion 
of  Mr.  Stevens,  that  there  be  inserted  in  the  contract,  a  clause  regulating  the  price  at 
which  water  is  to  be  furnished  to  the  citzens  and  the  public. 

The  scheme  of  Mr.  Macomb  and  associates,  was  to  bring  the  water  from  Rye  pond, 
and  they  professed  their  ability  to  complete  the  work  in  two  years,  without  any  compen- 
sation or  aid  from  the  Common  Council,  asking  only  the  privilege  of  laying  down  the 
pipes  and  selling  the  water. 

The  minutes  show  no  farther  proceedings  under  the  above  resolutions  ;  of  course, 
therefore,  no  contract  was  made. 

In  December,  1821 — S.  Allen  being  Mayor — another  resolution  was  adopted,  for  the 
twentieth  time  perhaps,  for  inquiring  into  the  best  means  for  supplying  water,  and  a 
Committee  was  appointed,  with  authority  to  procure  plans,  estimates,  &c.,  provided  the 
expense  thereof  should  not  exceed  $200. 

In  April,  of  next  year,  the  Committee,  consisting  of  Stephen  Allen,  Judah  Hammond, 


CROTON    AGlUEDUOT. 

H.  I.  Wyckoff,  and  H.  Mead,  reported  that  they,  in  company  with  Mr.  Carrol,  who  had 
examined  the  Rye  pond  and  the  Bronx  river,  at  various  sites,  and  particularly  at  its 
junction  with  Mill  Brook,  where,  according  to  the  plan  of  Mr.  R.  Macomb,  it  is  to  be 
diverted,  carried  through  Mill  Brook,  thence  through  a  deep  cutting  to  the  valley  of  the 
Morrisania  Creek,  and  so,  to  Macomb's  Dam.  The  water  to  be  taken  from  the  Bronx,  at 
an  elevation  of  52  feet,  the  requisite  additional  elevation  of  70  feet  to  be  given  by  ma- 
chinery, propelled  by  the  Harlem. 

They  had  caused  the  waters  of  the  Rye  pond  to  be  guaged  by  Mr.  C.  White,  and 
they  were  found  to  yield  1,000.000  of  gallons  in  the  dry  season,  every  24  hours,  the 
quality  of  it  very  good. 

The  Committee  declined  giving  an  opinion  as  to  the  expediency  or  feasibility  of 
the  plan  on  such  a  light  examination,  but  prepared  a  resolution  to  appropriate  $500  for  a 
survey  and  profile  of  the  route,  and  for  an  estimate  of  the  cost  of  constructing  an 
aqueduct.  This  was  carried. 

Next  year,  a  new  set  of  schemes  seems  to  have  been  started,  one  was  to  bring  the 
Housatonic  river  to  New  York  in  an  open  canal,  as  well  for  purposes  of  commerce,  as 
for  supplying  water  to  the  city,  and  an  act  of  incorporation  was  obtained  by  some  citizens 
of  Connecticut,  for  this  enterprise. 

This  project,  however,  soon  gave  way  to  that  of  constructing  a  canal  to  the  city 
from  Sharon,  in  Connecticut,  in  which  the  citizens  of  Dutchess,  Putnam,  and  Westches- 
ter  Counties,  in  this  State,  and  those  of  the  Western  part  of  Connecticut,  adjoining  these 
Counties,  took  a  deep  interest. 

Gen.  Ward,  of  Westchester  County,  brought  the  plan  to  the  notice  of  the  Corpora- 
tion, in  a  letter  which  will  be  found  in  the  minutes,  under  date  of  March  10th,  1823,  where 
also  appears,  the  Report  of  the  Special  Committee  to  whom  it  was  referred,  consisting  of 
Stephen  Allen,  S.  Cowdery,  and  H.  I.  Wyckoff.  The  report  was  favorable,  and  they  pre- 
sented a  memorial,  and  then  drafted  a  law,  which  was  accepted  and  sent  to  Albany. 

In  their  memorial,  the  Common  Council,  in  urging  that  an  act  of  incorporation  be 
granted  to  the  applicants,  took  care,  while  reserving  a  right  to  subscribe  for  a  portion  of 
the  stock,  to  guard  themselves  against  any  obligation  to  do  so. 

They  at  the  same  time,  in  the  bill  accompanying  the  memorial,  sought  to  provide  a 
fund,  on  the  faith  of  which  they  might  borrow  such  sums  as  they  should  subscribe,  by 
asking  authority  to  raise,  for  that  purpose,  1-2  of  1  per  cent,  on  sales  at  auction  within 
the  city,  in  addition  to  the  duty  then  paid  to  the  State. 

In  consequence  of  the  assent  of  the  Common  Council,  the  Legislature  granted  to  the 
26 


MEMOIR    OF    THE 

applicants,  an  act  of  incorporation,  with  power  to  make  a  canal  from  the  western  boun- 
dary of  the  State  of  Connecticut,  to  the  city  of  New  York. 

The  route  of  this  canal  commenced  in  the  State  of  Connecticut,  at  the  junction  of  the 
Oblong  river  with  a  small  stream  which  flows  from  the  Mudge  and  other  ponds.  It 
followed  the  course  of  the  Oblong  river  to  Dover,  thence  entering  the  valley  of  Swamp 
river,  and  passing  through  the  towns  of  Paulding,  Patterson,  and  south-east  to  Crawford's 
Mills  on  the  east  branch  of  the  Croton,  making  a  distance  of  forty  miles.  From  Craw- 
ford's Mills,  the  route  by  an  undulating  course,  requiring  the  construction  of  two  tunnels, 
one  1,320  yards  in  length,  and  the  second  1,760  yards,  reached  Macomb's  dam,  at  an  ele- 
vation of  97  feet  above  tide  ;  the  length  of  this  part  of  the  work  would  be  52  miles. 

This  scheme,  like  so  many  preceding  ones,  seems  not  to  have  found  favor  with  those 
who  were  to  furnish  the  means,  which  circumstance  together  with  the  misconduct  of  the 
first  President,  and  the  failure  of  several  of  the  Directors,  and  withal  an  expensive  law 
suit,  prevented  any  progress  in  the  work.  Accordingly,  we  find  the  Common  Council 
again  occupied  next  year  with  the  ever  recurring,  and  ever  unsatisfied,  want  of  an  adequate 
supply  of  water. 

Canvass  White,  at  the  request  of  the  Mayor,  S.  Allen,  had  made  an  examination  of 
the  various  sources  of  supply,  and  estimates  of  the  cost  of  bringing  water  to  the  city  by 
the  different  routes.  The  Report  was  presented  to  the  Common  Council  in  April,  1842. 
It  looked  to  the  Bronx  as  the  source  of  supply.  The  instructions  to  Mr.  White,  were,  that 
the  water  should  be  brought  to  the  city  at  a  height  of  30  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Park. 

Mr.  White  presented  various  plans  and  estimates,  some  for  an  open  canal  to  Ma- 
comb's  dam,  and  thence  the  water  to  be  raised  by  means  of  the  water  power  furnished  by 
the  dam  to  the  requisite  elevation  on  the  New  York  shore  ;  another,  for  taking  the  water 
of  the  Bronx  at  the  higher  elevation  of  the  Westchester  cotton  factory  pond,  and  conduct- 
ing it  in  an  arched  tunnel  of  masonry  to  the  Harlem  river,  and  passing  it  over  by  its 
own  head  through  iron  pipes. 

Mr.  Benj.  Wright,  who  was  associated  with  Mr.  White,  gave  a  decided  preference  to 
the  latter  plan,  notwithstanding  its  greater  comparative  cost.  The  estimate  was  $1,949,- 
542.  That  for  either  of  the  other  routes  through  open  canals,  and  the  use  of  power  to  lift 
the  water  at  Harlem  river,  did  not  exceed  one  million  of  dollars. 

The  quantity  of  water  which  the  Bronx  would  deliver,  even  in  the  dryest  season, 
was  stated  at  3,000,000  gallons  daily,  which  could  be  more  than  doubled  by  damming  the 
Rye  ponds,  the  source  of  the  Bronx.  The  experience  of  Philadelphia  had  indicated  27 
gallons  per  head,  as  an  adequate  daily  supply  for  the  inhabitants,  at  which  rate  a  popula- 


CROTON    AQUEDUCT. 

tion  of  244,000,  much  beyond  that  then  contained  in  the  city  of  New  York,  would  be 
accommodated. 

Notwithstanding  the  expense  which  the  city  had  incurred  by  these  preliminary  sur- 
veys and  estimates,  no  farther  action  seems  to  have  been  taken  in  the  matter,  for  on  17th 
January,  1825,  we  find  the  Recorder  presenting  to  the  Common  Council  a  resolution  for 
enquiring  into  the  expediency  of  vesting  in  the  Corporation  exclusively,  the  right  to 
introduce  water  into  the  city. 

This  course  was  adopted  in  consequence  of  an  application  then  before  the  Legisla- 
ture for  supplying  water  to  the  city,  concerning  which  the  Corporation  had  not  been  con- 
sulted. The  matter  was  referred  to  a  committee,  who  reported  in  conformity  with  the 
resolution,  and  dwelt  with  emphasis  upon  the  inconveniences  and  wrong  to  the  city,  that 
might  result  from  conceding  to  a  private  association,  the  right  to  tear  up  the  pavements  to 
lay  down  pipes.  A  memorial,  was  in  consequence,  forwarded  to  the  Legislature,  urging 
upon  it,  the  protection  of  the  corporate  rights  of  the  city. 

With  strange  inconsistency,  on  the  28th  of  February,  only  a  fortnight  after  the  above 
report,  the  Common  Council  retraced  their  steps,  and  actually  approved  a  plan  presented 
to  the  Legislature  by  Gideon  Tucker  and  others,  for  supplying  the  city  with  water 
through  the  agency  of  a  private  association. 

The  result  of  all  this  was  the  incorporation,  by  the  Legislature,  of  the  New  York 
Water  Works,  with  authority  to  supply  the  city  with  pure  and  wholesome  water.  Can- 
vass White  was  employed  by  the  Company  as  Engineer,  and  in  his  report  to  the  direc- 
tors, recommended  that  the  Bronx  river  be  the  source,  and  that  the  water,  being  taken  at 
Underbill's  Bridge,  would  yield  a  daily  supply  of  9,100,000  gallons,  at  an  expense  for  the 
whole  construction,  of  $1,450,000.  They  were  to  be  conveyed  in  an  arched  conduit  of 
masonry  to  Harlem  river,  and  thence  across  the  river  and  to  the  city  by  iron  pipes. 

Benjamin  Wright,  who  was  invited  to  examine  Mr.  White's  plans  and  estimates, 
expressed  his  entire  concurrence  in  their  accuracy. 

The  charter  of  this  company  proved  so  defective  in  practice,  that  they  were  unable 
to  proceed  in  their  work,  and  accordingly  they  applied  to  the  Legislature,  in  1826,  for  an 
amendment,  authorising  the  company  to  take  such  of  the  waters,  lands,  and  materials  as 
they  needed,  by  appraisement  of  indifferent  persons. 

In  this  application  they  were  defeated  by  the  opposition  of  the  Sharon  Canal  Com- 
pany, who  claimed  under  their  charter,  all  the  water  on  the  route  of  their  Canal.  The 
Water  Works  Company,  unable  to  proceed,  surrendered  their  charter  in  1827. 

Tired,  apparently,  of  relying  upon  sources  of  water  at  a  distance,  a  committee  of  the 


104  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

Common  Council,  in  March  1826,  was  directed  to  inquire  whether  "  water  of  the  best 
quality,  and  in  quantity  sufficient  to  supply  the  wants  of  the  city,  cannot  be  obtained 
from  wells  sunk,  or  to  be  sunk,  on  Harlem  heights."  This  led  to  the  incorporation  by 
the  next  Legislature,  in  1827,  of  a  fourth  company,  called  the  New- York  Well  Company. 
The  water  was  to  be  procured  on  the  island,  by  sinking  wells  in  the  most  elevated 
grounds. 

The  Company  made  several  attempts  to  procure  water,  but  being  satisfied  by  their 
experiments  of  the  impracticability  of  the  undertaking,  the  enterprise  was  abandoned. 

The  hope  next  embraced  was  that  of  Artesian  Wells.  Mr.  Levi  Disbrow  had  about 
this  time  succeeded,  by  boring  to  a  great  depth  through  earth  and  rock,  in  procuring  a 
copious  supply  of  good  water,  at  the  Manhattan  Reservoir,  corner  of  Bleecker  and  Mercer 
streets.  The  diameter  of  this  perforation  is  eight  inches ;  its  depth,  442  feet.  A  tube 
extends  from  the  top  to  near  the  bottom,  in  order  to  exclude  any  springs  that  may  be  met 
with  in  the  descent,  and  of  which  the  quality  might  impair  that  of  the  main  supply. 
Mr.  Disbrow  made  several  other  borings,  varying  from  72  to  250  feet  in  depth. 

Encouraged  by  his  success,  Mr.  Disbrow  proposed  to  supply  the  city  by  an  Artesian 
well  and  reservoir  in  each  ward.  But,  inasmuch  as  the  product  of  these  wells  is  limited, 
even  supposing,  what  is  by  no  means  certain,  that  the  multiplication  of  them  at  different 
levels  would  not  diminish  the  supply,  and  drain  the  sources  of  the  more  shallow  to  the 
deeper  perforations,  it  seemed  obvious  that  the  cost  of  such  an  enterprise,  taken  in  con- 
nection with  the  uncertainty  of  the  result  as  to  the  adequate  supply,  forbade  the  under- 
taking. Nevertheless,  the  Corporation  caused  various  perforations  to  be  made  in  the 
public  markets,  and  in  Jacob-street,  in  the  Swamp.  In  this  last,  at  the  depth  of  128  feet, 
a  mineral  water  was  obtained,  unfit  for  domestic  purposes  ;  but  which,  for  a  time,  was 
supposed  or  represented,  to  possess  valuable  medicinal  qualities. 

After  so  many  years  of  fruitless  resolutions,  enquiry,  and  experiments,  in  March, 
1829,  the  first  positive  step  towards  something  like  action  on  the  part  of  the  Corporation, 
was  taken  on  the  recommendation  of  the  Fire  Department.  More  than  $600,000  of  pro- 
perty, had,  in  the  preceding  year,  been  destroyed  by  fire ;  mainly  because  of  the  diffi- 
culty of  procuring  water.  And  in  consequence,  a  report  made  by  Alderman  Samuel 
Stevens,  in  favor  of  the  establishment  of  a  well  and  reservoir  in  Fourteenth-street, 
whence  water  might  be  distributed,  was  accepted  and  acted  upon. 

In  that  Report,  Mr.  Stevens  says  : 

Various  Institutions  have  been  chartered  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  water  into  the 
city,  but  none  have  as  yet  ever  complied  with  the  main  object  of  their  charter,  so  far  as 
the  public  was  interested ;  and  the  Committee  remark,  that  similar  incorporations  of 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT.  105 

private  individuals,  whether  they  propose  at  their  commencement  to  furnish  pure  and 
wholesome  water,  or  pure  and  first  quality  gas,  are  soon  found  to  have  an  eye  only  to  the 
profits  of  their  incorporations,  and  the  public  suffer  under  their  monopolies. 

The  water  pipes  of  the  Manhattan  Company  extend  to  such  parts  of  the  city,  as  they 
may  deem  advisable  to  put  them,  on  the  score  of  profit ;  and  the  upper  part  of  our  city, 
although  not  possessed  of  good  water,  have  it,  however,  of  a  quality  superior  to  that 
supplied  by  the  Manhattan  Company,  and  therefore  they  are  unwilling,  generally,  to  take 
the  Manhattan  water.  The  result  is,  that  all  that  part  of  the  city  lying  above  Grand- 
street  on  Broadway,  or  Pearl-street  on  the  east  side  of  the  city,  has  not  the  use  of  the 
Manhattan  water  for  the  purpose  of  extinguishing  fires.  It  has  therefore  become  abso- 
lutely necessary  for  the  Corporation,  in  some  manner,  to  give  to  the  upper  part  of  the  city, 
a  supply  of  water  for  that  purpose. 

The  breadth  of  the  island  at  Grand-street,  is  about  two  miles  ;  and  does  not  mate- 
rially differ  as  high  up  as  Fourteenth-street.  It  will  be  perceived,  that  the  extreme  dis- 
tance from  the  rivers,  of  the  part  of  the  city  between  Grand  and  Fourteenth-streets,  is  one 
mile,  or  5280  feet.  Now,  to  bring  the  water  from  either  river,  at  the  extreme  distance  by 
engines,  would  require  26.  Our  whole  engine  establishment  would  not  form  two  lines. 
This  mode  of  furnishing  water  by  engines  from  the  rivers,  is  not  only  too  limited,  but  too 
laborious  for  the  firemen,  to  be  at  all  relied  on,  for  the  section  of  the  city  referred  to. 

Another  mode  of  supply  is  by  cisterns ;  and  this  to  a  certain  extent,  is  already  in 
operation.  The  Corporation  has  at  present,  40  public  cisterns,  which  have  cost  on  an 
average  $600  each,  making  in  all  a  cost  of  at  least  $24,000.  They  usually  contain  100 
hogsheads  each.  Now  to  provide  for  the  section  of  the  city  between  Fourteenth  and  Grand- 
streets  on  Broadway,  and  Fourteenth  and  Pearl-streets  on  Chatham-street,  on  the  east  side 
of  the  city,  by  cisterns,  would  require  the  construction  of  at  least  60  additional  cisterns, 
supposing  that  each  thousand  feet  square  required  a  cistern,  and  if  we  estimate  them  at 
$600  each,  (including  expenses  of  assessments,)  it  will  make  the  sum  of  $36,000.  The 
cisterns  would  probably  not  last  longer  than  20  or  25  years,  and  would  require  consider- 
able expense  in  repairs  of  leaks,  and  for  leaders,  &c.,  during  that  time. 

Your  Committee  have  come  to  the  conclusion  to  recommend  to  the  Board,  the  laying 
down  of  two  lines  of  iron  pipes,  for  the  security  against  fires,  of  the  section  of  the  city 
above  described.  They  propose  that  the  Corporation  should  lease  three  or  four  lots  of  the 
Sailors'  Snug  Harbor  estate,  or  near  there.  The  elevation  of  the  surface  there,  say 
Broadway  and  Fourteenth-street  above  the  levels  of  the  rivers,  is  39  feet.  The  highest  part 
of  the  city  below  Fourteenth-street,  does  not  exceed  42  feet. 

A  rise,  or  additional  head  at  Fourteenth-street,  (as  a  starting  point,)  of  three  feet, 
would  give  the  necessary  head  to  make  the  water  flow  over  the  surface  of  the  highest 
streets  in  the  city,  and  would  give  an  excess  of  head  over  four-fifths  of  the  section  of  the 
city  referred  to,  of  at  least  fifteen  feet.  But  as  a  reservoir  would  be  necessary  to  hold  the 
supply  of  water,  an  additional  head  of  20  feet  is  proposed  to  be  in  this  manner  obtained 
for  2,000  hogsheads  (equal  to  twenty  cisterns,)  which  will  be  contained  in  a  reservoir. 

This  quantity  of  water,  with  that  held  in  the  tubes,  would  give  an  ample  supply 
for  any  fire. 

Your  Committee  propose  to  lay  one  line  of  tubes  from  about  Fourteenth-street, 
through  the  Bowery  to  its  termination  at  Chatham-street,  a  distance  of  about  6500  feet ; 
and  also  a  line  of  tubes  commencing  at  the  same  place,  through  Broadway  to  Canal-street, 

27 


106  MEMOIR     OF     THE 

a  distance  of  5500  feet.  The  diameter  of  the  tubes  to  be  12  inches.  The  cost  of  the 
tubes  will  be  $1  14  cents  per  foot,  or  6.020  per  mile.  The  expense  of.  laying  down  will 
be  eighty-six  cents  per  foot,  or  $4640  per  mile.  The  distance  of  these  two  lines  will  be 
about  12,000  feet,  or  2£  miles  ;  and  the  aggregate  expense  of  tubes,  laying  down,  and 
$500  for  plugs  or  hydrants,  will  amount  to  $24,500. 

The  expense  of  a  wooden  reservoir  containing  2000  hogsheads,  (equal  to  twenty 
cisterns,)  it  is  estimated  would  not  exceed  $1500,  making  in  all  $26,000.  -It  is  believed 
that  the  power  of  a  single  horse  will  be  sufficient  to  pump  the  water  into  the  reservoir,  and 
the  annual  expense  of  a  horse  and  a  man  ought  not  to  exceed  $700. 

The  Committee  did  not  omit  to  urge  as  an  additional  motive  for  laying  down  iron 
pipes,  that  whenever  the  long  desired  object  of  supplying  the  city  with  water  for  domestic 
purposes,  should  be  carried  into  effect,  these  same  pipes  would  serve. 

A  reluctant  assent  was  wrung  from  the  Common  Council  to  these  recommendations, 
and  a  Committee  was  empowered  to  provide  the  necessary  site  for  the  reservoir,  and  to 
contract  for  the  iron  pipes. 

From  this  feeble  and  economical  beginning,  sprang  our  noble  Croton  Aqueduct ; 
for  the  immense  and  immediate  advantages  in  cases  of  fire  derived  from  this  reservoir, 
impressed  more  vividly  upon  the  public  mind  the  far  greater  advantages  that  would  result 
from  having  a  river  at  command. 

Early  in  1830,  we  find  a  motion  made  in  the  Common  Council,  to  apply  to  the 
Legislature  for  all  needful  power  to  supply^he  city  with  water,  and  to  create  two  millions 
of  stock  to  defray  the  cost  thereof;  this  did  not  prevail — but  attention  was  earnestly 
aroused  to  the  subject,  and  all  sorts  of  schemes  were  suggested. 

A  memorial  from  Francis  B.  Phelps,  on  May  17th.,  proposed  four  different  sources 
of  supply : 

1st.  To  bring  the  water  from  Rye  Pond,  the  whole  distance  through,  in  28  inch  iron 
pipes — estimated  cost  $2,600,000. 

2d.  To  bring  in  the  Croton  river  by  an  open  canal,  to  cost  $1,834,000  ;  or  by  iron 
pipes,  at  an  expense  of  $3,060,000.  Of  course  no  regular  survey  had  been  made. 

3d.  To  bring  the  water  of  the  Passaic,  taken  above  the  falls  at  Paterson,  New 
Jersey — and  to  cross  the  Hudson  by  iron  pipes  laid  on  the  bottom  of  the  river — to  cost 
$1,932,000. 

4th.  A  plan  of  his  own,  of  which  the  particulars  are  not  given,  but  which  seems  to 
look  to  wells  and  springs,  on  Manhattan  Island — the  cost  $792,000. 

A  communication  was  received,  in  September,  from  Benjamin  Wright,  having  the 
same  object  in  view  ;  while  a  report  made  to  the  Board,  concerning  the  supply  by  the 


CROTON    AdUEDUCT.  107 

Manhattan  Company,  showed  how  inadequate  that  was  in  quantity,  and  how  impure  in 
quality. 

The  subject  continued  to  be  agitated  during  the  year  without  any  decisive  action. 

Early  in  the  ensuing  year,  January,  1831,  Alderman  Stevens,  who  seems  to  have 
followed  up  systematically,  and  perseveringly,  the  purpose  of  procuring  a  supply  for  the 
city,  proposed  the  following  resolution  : 

Resolved,  That  the  Counsel  of  the  Board,  prepare  a  memorial  to  the  Legislature,  set- 
ting forth  the  wants  of  the  city,  in  relation  to  a  full  and  ample  supply  of  water,  as  neces- 
sary for  the  safety  of  the  city  against  fire,  and  to  be  of  a  pure  and  wholesome  quality,  as 
necessary  for  the  preservation  of  the  health  and  lives  of  our  fellow-citizens,  and  further 
setting  forth,  that  the  Manhattan  Company,  although  chartered  in  the  year  1799,  for  the 
express  and  apparently  sole  purpose  of  furnishing  the  city  with  these  inestimable  blessings, 
have  not  in  the  opinion  of  the  Common  Council,  complied  with  the  conditions  of  their 
charter,  and  stating,  that  under  such  circumstances,  it  has  become  necessary  for  the  Cor- 
poration to  do  that  which  the  Manhattan  Company  has  failed  to  perform,  and  that  the 
Common  Council,  finding  that  there  exist  powers  in  the  acts  relating  to  this  Company, 
authorizing  them  to  take  by  process  of  law,  all  streams  of  water,  and  to  divert  water 
courses  from  their  natural  channels,  and  also  in  like  manner,  to  possess  themselves  of 
other  property,  which,  however,  the  Manhattan  Company  have  wholly  failed  to  use,  there- 
fore asking  a  repeal  of  the  said  powers  now  vested  in  said  Company,  and  the  vesting, 
exclusively,  all  such  powers  for  the  purpose  aforesaid  in  the  Corporation  of  the  city  of 
New  York,  and  further  enabling  the  Corporation  to  raise  by  loans,  a  sum  not  exceeding 
$2,000,000,  for  introducing  an  ample  supply  of  pure  and  wholesome  water. 

This  was  followed  by  a  petition  from  numerous  brewers,  complaining  of  the  impure 
and  noxious  qualities  of  the  Manhattan  water — of  which  this  analysis,  made  in  1831,  by 
the  chemist,  Chilton,  furnishes  abundant  proof : 

ANALYSIS    OF    THE    MANHATTAN  WATER. 

The  sample  was  obtained  from  the  pump  at  the  works  before  its  entrance  into  the 
cistern,  sp.  gr.  1011. 

One  wine  quart  was  slowly  evaporated  to  dryness.  The  dry  mass  weighed  31.45 
equal  to  125.80  of  solid  matter  in  the  gallon,  consisting  of 

Muriate  of  Soda, 

Muriate  of  Magnesia,     - 

Sulphate  of  Magnesia, 

Carbonate  of  Lime,  with  a  little  Carbonate  of  Magnesia, 

Sulphate  of  Lime, 

Extractive  Matter,  with  Combined  Water, 

125.80 
November  25,  1831. 

GEORGE  CHILTON. 


108  MEMOIROFTHE 

The  quantity  of  foreign  matter  in  the  waters  of  the  Bronx,  and  of  Rye  Pond,  was, 
on  an  analysis  by  the  same  chemist,  less  than  two  grains  ! 

On  the  28th  February,  the  resolutions  of  Alderman  Stevens  were  debated  and  adopt- 
ed, except  that  which  asked  permission  to  raise  two  million  of  dollars — which  was  op- 
posed and  lost. 

At  the  same  meeting,  Mr.  Townsend  presented  a  report  from  the  Lyceum  of  Natural 
History,  in  New  York,  in  answer  to  queries  addressed  to  that  Society,  relative  to  the 
probable  supply  and  quality  of  water  which  Manhattan  Island  might  furnish. 

As  a  disposition  then  existed  in  some  quarters,  and  perhaps  even  still  lingers,  to  rely 
upon  the  water  and  wells  of  the  island,  the  facts  and  reasonings  of  the  Report  (drawn  Up, 
we  believe,  by  Dr.  Dekay,)  cannot  be  uninteresting,  however  startling  to  the  fastidious, 
some  of  the  statements  may  appear. 

Of  the  Purity  of  the  New  York  Waters. 

All  waters,  it  is  well  known,  which  are  not  decidedly  of  a  mineral  character,  are 
divided  into  two  classes,  hard  and  soft.  With  the  latter  we  have  nothing  to  do  in  the 
present  communication,  as  none  of  it  occurs  in  the  thickly  settled  parts  of  the  island. 
Hard  waters  are  such  as  contain  a  sensible  quantity  of  foreign  ingredients,  the  chief  of 
which  are  Garb,  of  Lime,  Sulph.  Lime,  or  (Plaster  of  Paris,)  Mur.  Sod.  (or  Common  Salt,) 
Mur.  Magnes,  Iron,  and  extractive  or  animal  and  vegetable  matter.  We  accordingly  find 
that  all  the  water  in  the  city  contains  these,  and  occasionally  other  ingredients.  For  the 
following  analysis  of  pump  waters  in  various  parts  of  the  city,  the  Committee  are  indebt- 
ed to  one  of  its  members.  When  it  is  recollected  that  the  hardest  spring  water  seldom 
contains  so  much  as  one  thousandth  part  of  its  weight  of  any  foreign  body  in  solution,  it 
would  seem  that  the  term,  mineral  water,  would  be  a  more  correct  designation  for  the 
ordinary  waters  of  this  city. 

Results  of  analysis  of  various  mineral  and  pump  waters  in  the  city  of  New- York, 
by  George  Chilton,  chemist  : 

No.  1.  A  pint  of  water  yielded  10  grains  of  solid  matter,  consisting  of 

Mur.  Magnes.       -                 "  -       3  50 

Mur.  Sod.                                                      -  4 

Sulph.  Lime,  -      0  25 

Carb.  Lime  and  Magnesia,  1  25 

Carb.  Potass  and  Extractive,  -      0  75 

Loss,                 -  0  25 


Total,  10 

No.  2.  A  pint  yielded  7  grains  of  dry  residue,  consisting  of 

Mur.  Magnes.       -  2 

Mur.  Soda,       -  2 

Sulph.  Lime,  -        -  ...  l 


CROTON    AQUEDUCT. 

Carb.  Lime  and  Magnes.,  1  25 

Extractive  Matter  and  Loss,  75 


Total,  7 

No.  3.  A  pint  yielded  4  50  grains  composed  of 

Mur.  Soda,  1 

Mur.  Magnes.,  -  2 

Carb.  Lime,  1 

Sulph.  Lime  and  Extractive,  -  -  0  50 


Total,  4  50 

No.  4.  A  pint  yielded  about  4  grains  composed  of 

Mur.  Lime.  Mag.  and  Extractive,  1  80 

Mur.  Soda,     -                                                                                           -  1 

Sulph.  Lime,      -  0  25 

Carb.  Lime,    -                                                                                           -  1 


Total,     4  05 

No.  5.  Contained  Sulph.  and  Mur.  Lime,  with  a  little  coloring  matter. 
No.  6.  Contained  Sulph.  Lime,  Sulph.  and  Mur.  Soda,  with  Extractive. 

No.  7.  Was  not  disturbed  by  Nitrate  of  Silver,  Sulph.  Silver,  Ammonia,  nor  Barytic 
Salts. 

From  whence,  then,  are  derived  those  foreign  ingredients  ?  It  has  been  already  stated, 
that  the  sand  bed  of  this  island  may  be  regarded  as  a  filter  or  sponge,  which,  under 
ordinary  circumstances  is  saturated  with  fresh  water  from  the  atmosphere.  If  this 
spongy  mass  was  originally  free  itself  from  any  mineral  impregnations,  and  its  surface 
always  open,  the  watei  would  of  course  remain  pure  for  any  definite  period.  When  this 
filter  itself  contains  foreign  ingredients,  and  the  free  transmission  of  pure  water 
is  prevented,  its  quality  must  be  impaired.  From  accurate  data,  these  obstacles  to 
the  transmission  of  water  from  the  surface,  by  dwellings  and  pavements,  are  estimated 
to  carry  off  into  the  river  nearly  one  half  of  the  water  which  falls  from  the  atmosphere. 
In  the  neighborhood  of  large  open  squares,  it  is  consequently  observed  that  the  wells 
are  more  pure,  but  they  must  sooner  or  later  partake  of  the  same  deterioration.  The 
water  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  park,  although  very  impure,  is  nevertheless  of  a 
better  kind  than  that  from  more  distant  wells  ;  and  we  have  been  informed  that  the  well 
of  the  Manhattan  Company  is  mostly  supplied  from  that  quarter.  It  has  been  observed, 
also,  that  the  vicinity  of  grave  yards  communicates  a  ropy  appearance  to  the  water  ;  and 
the  water  from  such  wells,  becomes,  in  warm  weather,  very  offensive  in  the  course  of  a 
few  hours.  If  the  above  facts  be  well  founded,  we  must  naturally  anticipate  a  deteriora- 
tion of  our  waters,  proceeding  pari  passu,  with  the  increase  of  the  city  ;  and  we  accord- 
ingly find  this  to  be  the  case.  Until  within  the  last  few  years,  the  water  on  the  elevated 
ground  in  Broadway,  was  considered  to  be  the  best  in  the  city.  In  the  progress  of  im- 
provement, this  water  is  now  hard  and  unpalatable.  Indeed,  we  know  of  families  living 
above  Broome-street,  in  Broadway,  who  are  now  supplied  throughout  the  year  by  watew 
carts  from  the  country  ;  and  in  the  direction  of  Laurens-street,  we  have  been  informed  that 

28 


MEMOIR    OF    THE 

this  foreign  supply  is  required  still  farther  to  the  north  of  Broome-street.  But  we  are 
now  to  allude  to  another  cause,  which  must  greatly  impair  the  purity  of  our  waters  : — 
Into  the  sand  bank,  underlying  the  city,  are  daily  deposited  quantities  of  excrementitious 
matter,  which,  were  it  not  susceptible  of  demonstration,  would  appear  almost  incredible. 
With  our  present  population,  there  is  put  into  this  sand  about  100  tons  of  excrement 
every  24  hours.  In  these  deposites  we  may  find  all  the  ingredients  detected  by  analysis, 
and  which  destroy  the  purity  of  our  waters.  But  in  this  estimate  we  do  not  include  an 
equal  amount  of  urine,  for  the  following  reason  :  This  liquid,  when  stale  or  putrid,  has 
the  remarkable  property  of  precipitating  the  earthy  salts  from  their  solution,  or  in  other 
words,  it  makes  hard  waters  soft.  Although  the  fastidious  may  revolt  from  the  use  of 
water  thus  sweetened  to  our  palate,  it  is  perhaps  fortunate  that  this  mixture  is  daily  taking 
place,  for  otherwise  the  water  of  this  city  would  become,  in  a  much  shorter  space  of  time 
than  it  actually  does,  utterly  unfit  for  domestic  purposes.  We  cannot  take  leave  of  this 
part  of  the  subject  without  adverting  to  the  various  and  contradictory  opinions  which 
have  been  expressed  on  the  purity  of  our  waters.  We  must  impute  to  long  use  and  the 
influence  of  habit,  the  opinion  that  our  water  is  sufficiently  pure  for  domestic  purposes. 
We  have  known  our  citizens,  upon  going  into  the  country,  express  a  marked  disrelish  for 
pure  spring  water.  The  popular  expression  on  such  occasions  is,  "  This  water  is  like 
wind — there  is  nothing  substantial  in  it ;  nothing  to  bite  upon."  This  powerful  influ- 
ence of  habit  is  exemplified  even  among  animals.  At  one  of  our  watering  places,  (Sara- 
toga,) cattle  have  been  observed  to  prefer  the  strongest  mineral  water  known,  to  that  de- 
rived from  a  pure  source.  The  coldness  of  our  pump  waters  is  another  cause  which 
conceals  their  impurities  when  swallowed.  This  may  be  tested  by  allowing  it  to  stand 
until  it  has  acquired  the  ordinary  summer  temperature  ;  its  various  ingredients  become 
then  manifest,  palpable.  These  impurities  are  not  caused  by  the  additional  heat ;  they 
exist  at  all  times  in  the  water ;  their  presence  is  only  disguised  for  the  moment  by  its 
coldness,  and  its  injurious  properties  are  in  no  wise  diminished. 

Your  inquiry  as  to  the  effects  of  impure  water  upon  the  human  system,  falls  more 
properly  within  the  province  of  the  medical  philosopher  than  the  naturalist ;  we  do  not, 
therefore,  feel  ourselves  called  upon  in  this  place  to  enter  upon  this  subject  farther  than 
to  state,  that  in  several  diseases,  such  as  dyspepsia,  and  those  bowel  complaints  of  children, 
which  carry  off  so  many  annually,  the  cure  is  retarded  by  the  daily  use  of  bad  water.  In 
the  latter  disease,  in  particular,  the  mode  of  cure  often  resorted  to,  is  a  change  of  air, 
which  is  supposed  to  be  the  chief  agent  in  removing  the  disease.  It  is  within  the  knowl- 
edge of  some  of  the  committee,  that  the  use  of  pure  water  alone,  without  removal,  has 
produced  an  almost  immediate  and  beneficial  change. 

From  all  which  has  been  previously  stated,  you  will  learn  that  it  is  the  unanimous 
opinion  of  the  committee,  that  no  adequate  supply  of  good  or  wholesome  water  can  be 
obtained  on  this  Island,  for  the  wants  of  a  large  and  rapidly  increasing  city  like  New 
York.  The  various  perforations  which  have  been  made,  in  the  absence  of  all  other  proof, 
would  sufficiently  establish  this  position.  These  have  been  undertaken  without  any 
acquaintance  with  those  immutable  laws  of  nature,  which  regulate  the  position  of  rocks, 
and  their  utter  uselessness  is  now  sufficiently  obvious.  They-  may  be  carried  to  any 
assignable  depth  in  this  rock,  and  when  completed,  will  be  merely  reservoirs  to  receive 
the  drainage  from  above. 

Both  the  citizens  and  city  authorities  now  went  to  work  in  earnest,  and  in  December 
a  report  was  made  by  Mr.  Samuel  Stevens,  in  behalf  of  the  committee  of  fire  and  water, 


CROTON    AQUEDUCT.  HI 

that  reviewed  the  whole  ground,  the  various  plans  that  had  at  different  times  been 
projected,  and  indicated  that,  which,  in  the  judgment  of  the  committee,  was  most 
feasible. 

The  possibility  of  supplying'  the  city  from  springs  or  wells  on  Manhattan  Island,  is 
considered,  and  discarded.  Independently  of  the  uncertainty  both  as  to  the  quantity  and 
quality  of  the  water  which  might  thus  be  obtained,  the  multiplication  of  wells  and 
steam  engines  that  would  be  required  to  produce  the  supply  needed — estimated  at 
4,000,000  gallons,  daily — was  a  decisive  objection.  The  Artesian  well  of  the  Manhattan 
Company,  at  Thirteenth-street,  which  is  considered  as  a  very  successful  experiment, 
yields  but  20,000  gallons  daily,  and  it  would  require  200  such  wells,  with  steam  power 
at  each,  to  supply  four  million  gallons. 

The  plan  for  relying  on  the  Croton,  admitted  to  be  that  which  ensured  the  most 
abundant  supply,  was  put  aside  by  reason  of  the  great  cost  of  the  work,  and  because  the 
Bronx  river  presented  an  adequate  resource  nearer  by,  and  at  less  expense. 

The  minimum  daily  supply  from  that  river,  was  estimated  by  accurate  measurement 
and  survey,  made  by  Canvass  White,  in  1826,  at  4,302,720  gallons,  and  by  damming  the 
Rye  ponds,  an  additional  supply  of  4,798,000  gallons  would  be  obtained,  so  as  to  make  a 
daily  aggregate  of  9,100,000  gallons,  equal  to  the  wants,  at  20  gallons  per  head,  for  a 
population  of  450,000  persons. 

The  committee,  therefore,  unhesitatingly  recommend,  that  the  Bronx  river  be  the 
source,  and  thence  proceed  to  consider  the  mode  in  which  the  water  should  be  conducted 
to  the  city.  Three  plans  were  suggested :  an  open  canal,  an  arched  brick  tunnel,  and 
iron  pipes.  The  first  is  condemned,  because  of  the  impurities,  which,  in  its  course  it 
would  be  liable  to  gather ;  and  upon  the  whole,  the  preference  is  given  to  the  arched  tun- 
nel, which,  according  to  an  estimate  of  Canvass  White,  might  be  constructed,  of  five  feet 
diameter,  for  $31,174  per  mile,  making  the  whole  cost,  from  the  point  where  the  water 
was  taken  from  the  Bronx  to  Macomb's  dam,  $400,000.  Independently  of  superior 
cheapness,  as  compared  with  iron  pipes,  a  tunnel  of  the  size  proposed,  would  supply  the 
greatest  quantity  of  water  that  could  be  required. 

But  in  all  these  plans,  the  water  was  to  be  forced  up  by  machinery  at  the  Harlem 
river,  to  the  height  requisite  to  its  introduction,  with  a  sufficient  head  into  the  city.  The 
tide  water  of  the  Harlem  river,  was  relied  upon  for  the  power,  and  the  cost  of  the  bridge 
and  dam,  to  raise  and  pass  the  water,  was  estimated  at  $50,000.  The  machinery  for  lift- 
ing, and  the  reservoirs  on  Harlem  heights,  which  were  to  be  120  feet  above  tide,  were  to 
cost  $50,000  more.  And  the  three  lines  of  twelve  inch  iron  pipe,  calculated  to  convey 
2,000,000  gallons  daily  (an  adequate  supply  for  the  then  population),  were  to  cost  $10,000 


MEMOIR    OF    THE 

per  mile  each.     The  distance  from  the  receiving  reservoir  at  Harlem  to  that  at  Thir- 
teenth-street, being  four  miles,  the  whole  cost  of  the  pipes  would  be  $120,000. 

The  whole  expense  of  the  work,  including  the  extinguishing  of  rights,  the  purchase 
of  lands,  mason-work  tunnel,  iron  pipes  to  connect  the  reservoirs,  and  distributing  pipes 
through  the  city,  is  estimated  by  the  committee,  with  the  concurrence  in  judgment,  of 
Canvass  White  and  Benj.  Wright,  at  two  millions  of  dollars. 

The  Report  sets  forth  as  follows,  the  means  of  paying  this  amount : 

For  this  expenditure,  our  inhabitants  will  have  water,  pure  and  wholesome,  not  only 
as  a  beverage  and  for  culinary  and  domestic  purposes,  but  an  ample  supply  for  cleaning 
the  streets  and  sewers  of  our  city,  and  for  the  extinguishment  of  fires.  And  it  must  not 
be  forgotten  that  the  estimated  loss  by  fire  in  the  year  1828,  was  $600,000. 

Your  Committee  are  of  opinion  that  the  expense  of  this  undertaking,  the  advantages 
of  which  will  be  lasting  and  permanent  in  their  character,  should  be  provided  for  by  a 
loan,  and  they  view  the  present  or  coming  season  as  one  at  which  this  money  can  be 
procured  at  a  low  rate  of  interest,  probably  not  to  exceed  four  per  cent.,  redeemable  in 
thirty  years.  It  would  be  well  secured,  as  due  from  a  city  whose  taxable  property  is 
rated  at  $125,000,000,  and  is  worth  much  more.  To  provide  for  the  $80,000  interest, 
supposing  the  expense  to  amount  to  two  millions,  we  should  have  a  fair  charge  on  our 
present  citizens. 

It  is  believed  that  we  have,  or  within  a  year  or  two  will  have,  35,000  houses  and 
buildings,  all  of  which  are  obliged  to  build  and  keep  cisterns,  while  many  of  our  citizens 
purchase  water,  and  all  are  at  the  expense  of  sinking  wells  and  erecting  pumps,  at  an 
average  annual  charge,  including  all  these  expenses,  it  is  believed,  of  exceeding  eight 
dollars  per  house.  Now  if  we  estimate  that  we  can  charge  each  house,  on  an  average, 
four  dollars,  we  have  $140,000,  nearly  double  the  whole  interest.  If  it  should  be  thought 
that  four  dollars  is  too  much  for  some  houses,  it  may  be  remarked,  that  several  families, 
in  limited  circumstances,  generally  reside  in  one  house,  and  that  this  being  the  case,  the 
landlord  might  well  afford  to  pay  four  dollars  per  annum  ;  but  as  this  calculation  of  four 
dollars  per  house,  is  an  average  charge,  it  will  be  seen  that  some  houses  can  be  charged 
more  than  double  that  rate,  while  the  rate  of  others  can  be  proportionably  reduced. 

We  should  have,  also,  what  might  be  chargeable  on  livery  stables,  breweries,  dying 
establishments,  manufactories  of  all  kinds,  making  of  mortar  for  building-,  and  the  supply- 
ing our  shipping,  to  create  a  sinking  fund  for  the  final  liquidation  of  the  loan ;  and  we 
should  not  forget  that  the  income  referred  to  is  from  nearly  our  present  population,  which  is 
rapidly  increasing,  which  increase  the  works  would  supply  with  little  increased  expense. 
The  New  River  establishment  at  London  charges  all  dwellings  at  the  rate  of  five  per  cent. 
on  the  rent  of  the  same,  which  appears  to  be  a  good  criterion  to  regulate  the  charge,  and 
this  rate  would  produce  a  revenue  to  the  city. 

The  committee  also  suggest  that  the  superintendence  and  execution  of  the  work  they 
propose,  requiring,  as  it  would,  uniformity  and  steadiness  of  views,  and  close  attention, 
should  not  be  confided  to  members  of  the  Common  Council,  who  are  continually  chang- 
ing, but  to  a  Board  of  Commissioners,  appointed  and  paid  for  the  purpose. 


CROTON    AQUEDUCT.  1V3 

The  Report  concludes  with  the  draft  of  a  law  embodying  the  views  therein 
expressed,  and  asking  authority  to  borrow  two  millions  of  dollars. 

In  January  of  next  year,  1832,  the  Common  Council  approved  the  report  and  the 
accompanying  draft  of  a  law,  and  resolved  that,  on  the  law  being  passed  by  the  Legisla- 
ture, they  would  undertake  to  supply  the  city  with  pure  and  wholesome  water. 

The  bill  thus  sent,  did  not  become  a  law,  owing  to  the  unwillingness  of  the  Legisla- 
ture to  authorise  the  raising  of  such  a  sum  of  money,  until  it  should  be  satisfactorily  as- 
certained that  the  object  in  view,  both  as  to  the  quantity  and  quality  of  water,  could  be 
accomplished  by  the  expenditure  proposed. 

The  project,  however,  was  too  far  advanced,  and  the  city  was  too  much  committed, 
to  draw  back.  Another  lingering  effort  to  procure  water  on  the  Island  itself,  was  encou- 
raged by  an  appropriation,  in  October,  of  the  sum  of  $1000,  to  defray  the  cost  of  further 
examinations ;  but  of  course,  nothing  satisfactory  came  of  it,  and  the  reports  of  Dr. 
Brown,  made  in  1798,  and  of  Mr.  Weston,  in  1799,  being  reprinted  by  order  of  the  Com- 
mon Council,  and  both  of  these  ridiculing  the  idea  of  supplying  a  populous  city  with 
water  from  its  own  bowels,  the  minds  of  all  reverted  to  the  streams  of  Westchester. 

On  10th  November,  the  Joint  Committee  on  Fire  and  Water,  passed  this  resolution: 

Resolved,  That  Colonel  De  Witt  Clinton  be  requested  and  authorised  to  proceed  and 
examine  the  continuation  of  the  route  from  Chatterton  Hill,  near  White  plains,  to  Croton 
River,  or  such  other  sources  in  that  vicinity  from  which  he  may  suppose  that  an  inex- 
haustible supply  of  pure  and  wholesome  water  for  the  city  of  New- York  may  be 
obtained;  also,  his  opinion  of  the  best  mode  of  conducting  the  same  to  the  city,  and  the 
probable  expense,  as  well  as  the  practicability,  of  bringing  the  water  across  Harlem  River, 
and  the  most  suitable  point  where  the  same  shall  be,  and  the  best  mode  of  doing  it,  and 
that  he  be  authorised  to  employ  two  assistants  to  aid  him  in  the  undertaking. 

JAMES  PALMER,  Chairman, 
CHARLES  HENRY  HALL, 
WILLIAM  MANDEVILLE, 
GEORGE  W.  BRUEN, 
PETER  S.  TITUS, 
DENNIS  M'CARTHY. 

On  the  22d  December,  Col.  Clinton  presented  his  Report,  which  is  very  voluminous, 
but  necessarily  from  the  fact  that  the  routes  he  recommends,  were  not  surveyed,  his  esti- 
mates are  conjectural. 

He  examines  in  detail,  all  plans  previously  proposed  for  supplying  the  city,  and 
comes  to  the  conclusion  deliberately,  that  on  the  Croton  should  the  city  rely  ;  a  conclu- 
sion, which,  differing  as  it  did  from  that  of  all  antecedent  engineers,  and  from  the  views 
of  Committees  of  the  Common  Council,  is  creditable  to  his  sagacity  and  self-reliance. 
29 


114  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

The  great  inducements  stated  in  the  Report,  for  resorting  to  the  Croton,  are,  the  pu- 
rity of  its  waters,  their  unfailing  abundance  for  any  possible  population  in  the  city,  and 
the  elevation  of  their  bed,  which  would  give  a  sufficient  head  to  convey  them  to  the  dis- 
tributing reservoir  in  the  city,  at  a  height  sufficient  for  all  purposes  of  supplying  the  lof- 
tiest dwellings,  and  of  extinguishing  fires.  Mr.  C.  had  strong  confidence  in  the  practica- 
bility of  delivering  the  water  at  137  feet  above  tide.  It  actually  stands  now  in  the  distri- 
buting reservoir  at  115  feet,  an  approximation  which,  considering  the  fact  already  noticed, 
that  no  actual  surveys  were  made,  indicates  the  accuracy  of  that  Engineer's  coup  cfoeil. 

Mr.  Clinton's  plan  was  to  make  an  open  canal,  from  which  he  stated  it  was  easy  to 
exclude  the  wash  of  the  soil,  and  rains,  and  upon  the  flow  of  which,  by  being  made  nar- 
row and  deep,  the  frost  of  winter  would  have  little  effect. 

He  preferred  the  open  canal  to  the  closed  tunnel,  both  on  account  of  the  expense  of 
constructing  the  tunnel,  and  the  danger  of  leakage  or  breakage.  He  also  feared  that  in 
such  a  crooked  line  as  the  work  would  be  obliged  to  follow,  the  angles  of  the  masonry 
would  be  weak,  while  the  velocity  of  the  water,  by  reason  of  the  crooks  in  the  channel, 
would  be  much  retarded. 

Recurring  to  the  apprehended  impurity  of  an  open  canal,  the  Report  thus  reasons  : 

"  Many  persons  have  suggested  that  the  water  in  the  open  canal,  by  its  passage 
through  it,  would  become  impure ;  I  cannot  see  the  force  of  the  objection,  as  I  have 
already  stated  the  manner  that  those  impurities  can  be  avoided.  It  must  also  be  recol- 
lected that  the  principal  supply  of  the  city  of  London  is  procured  from  the  New  River 
and  the  River  Lea,  by  the  means  of  an  open  canal.  The  canal,  to  maintain  its  level, 
meanders  a  distance  of  thirty-nine  miles,  although  the  source  of  supply  in  a  direct  line,  is 
not  more  than  twenty  miles  from  the  city.  Those  united  streams  supply  28,774,000 
gallons  in  twenty-four  hours,  and  provide  for  177,400  houses.  In  1816,  there  were  on 
the  canal,  forty-three  sluices,  and  215  public  bridges  over  it.  There  are  also  several 
subterraneous  passages  under  roads ;  one  is  two  hundred  yards  long.  At  Islington  the 
canal  is  fourteen  and  a  half  feet  wide,  and  four  and  a  half  feet  deep.  From  the  New 
River  head  reservoir,  which  is  fifty-eight  feet  above  the  River  Thames,  the  water  is  raised 
thirty-five  feet  by  steam  engines,  into  two  reservoirs.  One  is  situated  near  Pentonville, 
and  the  other  near  Tottenham  Court  road.  They  each  contain  five  acres,  and  are  ten 
feet  in  depth. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  however,  we  can  state  from  our  own  experience,  that  this  new 
river  is  freely  used  for  bathing,  and  that  too,  within  a  very  few  miles  of  London. 
Finally,  as  to  cost,  the  Report  says  : 

"  From  the  best  opinion  I  can  form,  I  am  satisfied,  that  the  waters  of  the  Croton  River 
maybe  taken  at  Pine's  Bridge,  and  delivered  on  the  Island,  "for  a  sum  not  exceeding 
$750,000,  in  an  open  canal,  and  with  stone  linings,  ditching,  and  walls,  and  including 
damages  and  other  contingencies,  it  may  swell  the  cost  to  $850,000.  The  expense  of 
distribution  and  reservoirs  on  the  island,  may  amount  to  $1,650,000  more,  which  would 
make  the  whole  cost  of  the  work  $2,500,000. 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT.  H5 

The  fact  before  alluded  to,  that  no  accurate  survey  of  the  route  was  made,  will  suffi- 
ciently account  for  the  inadequacy  of  these  estimates  ,as  since  proved  by  the  actual  cost. 

Contemporaneously  with  the  exploration,  by  Col.  Clinton,  of  the  Croton  route,  Timo- 
thy Dewey  and  Wm.  Sewal,  under  the  direction  of  Benj.  Wright,  then  Street  Commis- 
sioner of  the  city,  explored  a  route  from  Macomb's  Dam  to  the  Bronx  river,  with  the 
expectation  of  being  able  to  bring  the  water  of  that  river  to  the  dam,  at  an  elevation  of 
120  feet  above  tide.  This  was  found  to  be  impracticable;  the  waters  of  the  Bronx,  the 
Rye  Ponds  and  Wampus  Pond  were  guaged,  and  the  ground  between  them  and  the  Har- 
lem river  examined,  and  the  conclusion  of  the  engineers  was,  that  a  superabundant  supply 
from  these  sources  could  be  relied  on.  And  further,  "  that  a  canal  or  tunnel  on  a  high 
level  is  not  the  best  or  safest  mode  of  obtaining  water,  and  that  it  ought  not  to  be  at- 
tempted." It  is  added,  "that  the  Croton  cannot  be  brought  in  by  this  route,  and  cannot 
ever  be  needed,  seeing  that  the  quantity  which  can  be  obtained  at  a  moderate  cost  through 
the  valley  of  the  Bronx,  will  be  sufficient  for  all  city  purposes." 

An  analysis  of  the  Bronx  water  was  made  at  the  same  time  by  different  chemists, 
Messrs.  Chilton,  Ackerly  and  Griscom,  which  showed  it  to  be  of  remarkable  purity,  not 
containing  more  than  two  grains  of  foreign  matter  in  a  gallon. 

With  these  various  plans  before  them,  the  Common  Council  received  a  report  from 
their  Committees  of  fire  and  water,  on  24th  December,  which,  without  passing  judgment 
upon  any  of  the  projects,  recommended,  "inasmuch  as  enough  has  been  ascertained  for 
the  satisfaction  of  the  Committee,  that  no  time  be  lost  in  obtaining  authority  from  the 
Legislature  to  raise,  by  loan,  such  a  sum  as  shall  be  requisite  for  so  desirable  an  object," 
and  they  accordingly  prepared  the  draft  of  a  law  to  be  sent  to  the  Legislature. 

This  report  was  referred  back,  and  next  month,  January,  1833,  the  Committee 
reported  a  bill  to  be  sent  to  the  Legislature,  and  by  way  of  guarding  against  the  objections 
before  made  to  granting  the  authority  asked  by  the  Corporation,  the  bill  required  simply 
the  appointment  of  Commissioners,  who  should  be  invested  with  full  power  to  examine 
all  the  plans  hitherto  proposed,  to  cause  actual  surveys  to  be  made,  to  have  the  water 
tested,  to  estimate  the  probable  expense,  and  generally  to  do  whatever  in  their  judgment 
may  be  necessary  to  arrive  at  a  right  conclusion  in  the  premises."  It  also  suggested  five 
as  the  number  of  Commissioners ;  that  they  be  appointed  by  the  Governor  and  Senate, 
and  make  reports  of  their  proceedings  both  to  the  Common  Council  and  the  Legislature. 

This  report  was  adopted  by  the  Common  Council,  and  an  application  in  conformity 
therewith,  was  immediately  made  to  the  Legislature. 

The  Legislature,  on  the  26th  of  February,  did  pass  the  act,  to  be  in  force  one  year. 
The  Commissioners  were  to  report  the  result  of  their  examination,  both  to  the  Common 
Council  and  the  Legislature ;  the  city  was  to  defray  all  reasonable  expenses. 

The  Governor,  with  the  consent  of  the  Senate,  appointed  Stephen  Allen,  B.  M, 


MEMOIR    OF    THE 

Brown,  S.  Dusenberry,  S.  Alley,  and  W.  W.  Fox,  the  Commissioners ;  and,  on  the  5th  of 
June,  the  Common  Council  having  appropriated  $5000,  to  enable  them  to  carry  into  effect 
the  objects  of  their  appointment,  the  Commissioners  engaged  Canvass  White  and  Major 
Douglass  formerly  Professor  of  Engineering  at  the  United  States  Military  Academy,  to 
undertake  the  requisite  surveys,  examinations,  and  estimates.  Mr.  White,  from  his 
engagements  on  the  Raritan  &  Delaware  Canal,  was  prevented  from  acting,  but  Major 
Douglass,  with  his  party,  made  a  complete  reconnaissance  during  the  summer,  of  the 
various  routes,  and  of  the  different  sources  of  supply,  and  in  November  following,  made 
report  to  the  Commissioners,  which  was  by  them  communicated  to  the  Common  Council. 

This  report  may  be  considered  as  having  determined  the  long  mooted  question  of  the 
source  of  supply,  and  through  all  variations  of  opinion  afterwards,  Major  Douglass 
adhered  unfalteringly  to  the  conviction,  that  the  Croton,  and  the  Croton  only,  should  be 
looked  to  and  relied  on.  Like  the  Roman  Marcius,  of  whom  we  have  spoken  in  the  Pre- 
liminary Essay,  who,  when  the  Decemvirs  and  Sybils  indicated  the  Anio,  as  the  stream 
which  the  Gods  preferred  for  the  supply  of  his  aqueduct,  still  adhered  to  the  cold,  pure, 
and  abundant  springs  from  the  mountains  of  Tivoli,  so  Mr.  Douglass,  disregarding  diffi- 
culties, real  and  imaginary,  and  heeding  not  at  all  the  efforts  still  to  cause  the  Bronx  to 
be  preferred,  stood  fast  for  the  Croton. 

The  instructions  of  the  Commissioners  to  the  Engineers  were,  to  make  "  examina- 
tions of  the  Croton,  Sawmill,  and  Bronx  rivers,  in  the  counties  of  Westchester  and  Put- 
nam, together  with  their  several  tributaries ;  and  to  furnish  the  Commissioners  with  a 
map  and  profile  of  the  country,  and  their  opinion  of  the  quality  of  the  water,  the  supply 
that  might  be  depended  on  in  all  seasons,  and  the  practicability  of  conveying  it  to  the 
city  at  an  elevation  of  sufficient  height  to  preclude  the  use  of  machinery,  and  answer  all 
the  purposes  contemplated. 

The  Engineers  were  also  instructed  to  designate  the  best  and  most  feasible  route  for 
conducting  the  water,  the  most  fit  and  proper  manner  for  constructing  the  conduits  and 
reservoirs,  the  probable  amount  of  damage  that  would  be  sustained  by  the  proprietors  of 
the  water  to  be  taken,  and  of  the  land  it  might  be  necessary  to  occupy  in  constructing 
the  required  conduits  and  reservoirs,  together  with  the  total  amount  of  cost  to  the  city  for 
completing  and  putting  into  operation,  the  whole  project. 

Mr.  Douglass  began  his  surveys  late  in  June,  and  they  occupied  him  and  his  party 
until  late  in  September,  and  the  result  was  as  above  stated,  a  firm  conclusion  that  the 
Croton  should  be  the  source  of  supply.  Two  routes,  out  of  marfy  examined,  were  decided 
on  and  estimated  for,  "  The  Inland,"  and  "  The  Hudson  River  "  route. 

The  first  of  these  lines  followed  the  valley  of  the  Sawmill  river ;  its  length  from  the 
confluent  reservoir  at  Wood's  bridge,  over  the  Croton,  to  the  distributing  reservoir  on 


CROTON    AdUEDUCT.  117 

38th  street,  was  a  little  more  than  43  miles — the  height  above  tide,  at  which  the  water 
would  stand  in  the  latter  reservoir  was  117  feet,  with  a  minimum  daily  supply  of 
about  16,000,000  gallons  of  running  water,  and  11,000,000  gallons  obtainable  from  stored 
water — and  at  a  cost  of  four  and  a  half  millions  of  dollars  for  the  whole. 

The  Hudson  river  route  was  traced  wholly  along  the  undulating  side  of  the  Croton 
and  Hudson  valleys,  passing  through  Sing  Sing,  Sleepy  Hollow  and  Tarrytown,  and  so  on 
till  it  touched  the  line  of  the  inland  route  in  the  valley  of  the  Sawmill  river. 

The  length  of  the  route  is  nearly  47  miles,  at  an  expense  of  $4,768,197. 

The  plan  of  construction  recommended,  was  a  continuous  tunnel  or  aqueduct  in  ma- 
sonry— as  preferable  both  in  economy  and  durability  to  iron  pipes — an  open  canal  being 
entirely  repudiated.  The  reasons  for  the  preference  are  thus  stated : 

"  On  an  aqueduct  the  water  flows  with  an  easy  natural  motion,  acting  upon  its 
channel  with  nothing  more  than  its  own  proper  weight,  and  a  friction  scarcely  apprecia- 
ble ;  and  if  by  an  accident  its  motion  should  be  obstructed,  the  water  having  room  to 
expand,  would  back  up  and  check  the  velocity  of  the  approaching  current  without  any 
sensible  revulsion  upon  the  sides  of  the  aqueduct :  but  in  a  close  pipe,  having  such  a  de- 
pression as  would  be  necessary  in  the  present  instance,  say  130  feet  below  the  head,  the 
action  upon  the  sides  of  the  pipe,  would  be  about  601bs.  to  the  inch.  The  water  being 
also  confined  laterally,  any  impediment  would  necessarily  react  in  some  degree  upon  its 
whole  volume,  as  far  back  as  the  nearest  vent,  and  it  should  be  observed  that  a  mile  of 
pipe  contains  more  than  700  tons  of  water.  It  is  true  that  the  probability  of  any  serious 
impediment  is  very  remote,  but  even  the  friction  upon  so  inelastic  a  substance  as  water, 
and  under  this  high  pressure  and  impetus,  is  a  force  which  at  no  distant  period  must  im- 
pair the  stability  of  the  work." 

The  principle  of  the  work  was,  that  the  water  of  the  Croton  should  be  taken  at  such 
height  above  tide,  as  to  afford  a  sufficient  head  to  force  it  across  the  Harlem  river,  and  to 
deliver  it  at  the  distributing  reservoir  in  the  city,  at  an  elevation  equal  to  the  supply  of 
the  loftiest  edifices. 

The  engineer  contents  himself  with  having  established  the  practicability  of  deliver- 
ing the  Croton  into  the  city  at  a  comparatively  reasonable  cost,  and  leaves  it  to  be  deter- 
mined by  future  and  more  minute  examination,  what  route  shall  be  adopted. 

Of  the  quality  of  the  Croton  water,  Mr.  Douglas  gives  this  account : 

"  The  supplies  of  the  Croton  are  derived  almost  exclusively  from  the  elevated 
regions  of  the  '  Highlands'  in  Westchester  and  Putnam  counties,  being  furnished  by  the 
pure  springs,  which  so  remarkably  characterise  the  granitic  formation  of  that  region. 
The  ponds  and  lakes  delineated  on  the  map,  and  spoken  of  in  a  former  part  of  this  re- 

30 


MEMOIR    OF    THE 

port,  are  among  the  number  of  these  springs ;  many  of  them  3  or  400  acres  in  extent, 
and  one  as  large  as  a  thousand  acres.  All  these  ponds  are  surrounded  by  clear  upland 
shores,  without  any  intermixture  of  marsh  ;  and  the  surrounding  country,  cultivated  as 
it  is  generally,  in  grazing  farms,  presents  an  aspect  of  more  than  ordinary  cleanness.  The 
water,  as  might  be  expected  under  such  circumstances,  is  perfectly  soft  and  clear,  much 
superior  in  the  former  respect  to  the  waters  of  our  western  lakes,  and  fully  equal  in  the 
latter. 

The  Croton,  fed  by  such  springs,  could  scarcely  be  otherwise  than  pure,  and  the  fact 
of  its  purity  was  strongly  verified  by  the  experience  of  the  party  in  every  stage  of  the 
water  during  the  season.  Specimens  were  taken  up  both  in  the  high  and  low  state  of  the 
river,  and  have  been  analysed  by  Mr.  Chilton,  and  the  results  obtained  fully  corroborate 
these  statements.  It  appears  from  his  report  annexed,  that  the  quantity  of  saline  matter, 
probably  the  salts  of  lime  and  magnesia,  does  not  exceed  two  and  eight-tenths  grains  in  the 
gallon  ;  a  quantity,  he  observes,  so  small,  that  a  considerable  quantity  of  the  water  would 
be  necessary  to  determine  the  proportions.  About  two  grains  of  vegetable  matter  were 
also  suspended  in  the  water,  in  consequence  of  the  rapid  current  in  which  it  was  taken 
up,  and  which  would  of  course  subside  in  the  receiving  reservoir." 

The  Report  next  proceeds  to  speak  of  the  Bronx,  and  of  the  capabilities  of,  and  ob- 
jections to,  that  source  of  supply. 

The  lower  line  taking  the  water  from  the  Bronx  near  the  mouth  of  the  stream,  so  as 
to  leave  Underhill's  Mill  and  the  valuable  cotton  factory  at  Tuckahoe,  untouched,  would 
reach  the  bank  of  the  Harlem  river  at  50  feet  above  tide.  But  it  being-  required  to 
deliver  the  water  in  the  receiving  reservoir  at  123  feet  above  tide,  reliance  must  be  had 
on  the  power  of  the  Harlem  to  raise  it  73  feet.  Upon  calculating  this  power,  however, 
it  was  found  incapable  of  raising  more  than  5,000,000  gallons  daily,  and  as  this  would 
leave  a  deficit,  even  for  present  purposes  when  the  work  should  be  finished,  of  two  or 
three  millions  of  gallons  a  day,  it  was  thought  unnecessary  to  pursue  the  examination  of 
that  route. 

Another  line  commencing  at  Popham's  Calico  Factory,  was  carefully  surveyed.  By 
rebuilding  and  raising  the  dam,  a  head  of  142  feet  above  tide  would  be  obtained,  and 
no  serious  obstacles  occur  in  the  route  before  intersecting  those  laid  out  for  the  Croton. 
But  upon  guaging  the  streams  of  supply,  it  was  at  once  perceived  that  no  reliance  could 
be  placed  upon  a  sufficient  quantity  from  them. 

"  On  the  15th  of  August,"  says  Maj.  Douglas,  "  I  guaged  the  outlet  of  the  Rye 
ponds,  and  found  it  discharging  950,400  gallons  per  day.  On  the  20th,  and  again  on  the 
5th  September,  it  was  discharging  very  nearly  the  same  quantity  ;  but' between  the  last 
two  dates,  a  period  of  15  days,  it  had  fallen,  having  been  drawn  down  by  the  proprietor 
two  and  six  tenths  inches. 

This  draught,  calculated  upon  the  surface  of  the  pond,  —  205  acres,  gives  a  daily 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT. 

decrease  of  957,500  gallons  in  the  volume  of  the  pond ;  showing  that,  during  the  time  ob- 
served, the  supplies  of  the  pond,  from  whatever  quarter  they  come,  were  in  quantity  about 
7,000  gallons  per  day  less  than  the  evaporation. 

By  damming  the  valley,  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  below  the  small  pond,  so  as  to 
back  up  the  water  to  three  feet  above  the  ordinary  level  of  the  upper  pond,  a  reservoir 
of  360  acres  will  be  formed ;  and  by  deepening  the  outlet  of  the  upper  pond,  so  as  to 
command  a  draught  of  five  feet  in  all,  we  shall  obtain  a  volume  of  705,672,000  gallons, 
or  3,920,400  gallons  daily,  for  180  days  of  drought.  Deducting  from  this  the  daily  loss 
by  evaporation  =  1,633,500  gallons,  which  is  the  lowest  admissible  calculation  for  the 
six  warm  months,  we  obtain  a  disposable  surplus  of  2,286,900  gallons  per  day.  This  is 
believed  to  be  the  maximum  which  should  be  calculated  upon  from  the  storage  of  the 
Rye  ponds ;  and  the  writer  is  not  aware  of  any  source  from  which  it  might  be  advisedly 
augmented.  A  small  additional  supply  is  doubtless  obtainable  from  Byram  river,  if  it 
were  not  necessary,  in  availing  of  it,  to  resort  to  the  territory  as  well  as  the  waters  of  an- 
other State. 

The  running  supply  of  the  Bronx  was  ascertained  on  the  4th  and  5th  of  September. 
It  was  necessary  to  repeat  the  guaging  several  times  in  order  to  separate  the  accidental 
flow  of  the  mills  from  the  regular  discharge  of  the  river.  The  latter,  however,  was  at 
length  satisfactorily  ascertained,  viz.  4,331,880  gallons  ;  and  reducing  this  in  the  ratio  of 
one-fifth,  for  the  reason  heretofore  mentioned,  we  get  3,465,504  gallons  as  the  daily  sum- 
mer flow  in  seasons  of  extreme  drought.  Add  to  this,  the  quantity  above  estimated  from 
the  Rye  Pond  reservoir,  =  2,286,900  gallons,  and  we  have  the  aggregate  of  5,752,404  as 
the  amount  of  all  that  can  safely  be  depended  upon  from  this  quarter." 

Tn  communicating  the  Report  to  the  Common  Council,  the  Commissioners  strongly 
urge  the  importance  to  the  health,  security,  and  comfort  of  the  city,  of  an  adequate  supply 
of  pure  water. 

"  The  utility,"  say  they,  "  of  the  undertaking  being  acknowledged,  as  the  Commis- 
sioners believe  it  is,  by  a  large  majority  of  the  citizens,  the  only  questions  of  importance 
which  can  arise  on  the  subject,  are,  first,  the  source  from  which  the  water  is  to  be 
brought ;  second,  the  manner  of  bringing  it ;  and  third,  the  difficulties  to  be  encountered, 
and  the  expense  of  the  project. 

With  the  information  in  the  possession  of  the  Corporation,  should  they  decide  to  carry 
the  project  into  effect,  the  first  and  second  considerations  may  safely  be  left  to  the  judge- 
ment of  those  who  shall  be  selected  to  superintend  and  direct  the  operations. 

The  difficulties  to  be  encountered,  are  much  less  in  the  opinion  of  the  Commission- 
ers, than  those  which  have  been  overcome,  both  in  this  county  and  in  Europe. 


120  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

As  to  the  cost,  necessarily  large,  owing  to  the  situation  and  construction  of  the 
island  on  which  the  city  is  built,  and  the  distance  from  which  the  water  is  to  be  brought, 
there  cannot  be  a  doubt,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Commissioners,  but  that  the  operation  will 
prove  a  saving  concern  if  properly  and  judiciously  conducted,  and  eventually,  when  the 
population  of  the  city  shall  have  reached  its  maximum,  result  in  great  profit  to  the  pro- 
prietors." 

Thus  encouraged  and  stimulated,  the  Common  Council  resolved  to  proceed  in  earn- 
est, and  the  Manhattan  Company  joining  in  the  general  impulse,  made  a  proposition  to 
the  Common  Council  for  the  sale  to  it,  of  all  their  immunities,  rights  and  privileges  of 
every  kind,  relative  to  supplying  the  city  with  pure  water,  and  of  all  the  property,  steam 
engines,  pipes  and  hydraulic  works,  of  every  sort  employed  therein. 

This  proposition  was  frankly  met  by  the  Common  Council,  who,  on  6th  February, 
1834,  adopted  a  resolution  accepting  the  proposal  of  the  Manhattan  Company,  to  enter  into 
negotiation,  for  the  aforesaid  purpose. 

On  the  same  day,  6th  February,  1834,  the  Common  Council  resolved  to  apply  to 
the  Legislature  for  a  law  authorising  a  loan  of  two  and  a  half  millions  of  dollars,  by  the 
creation  of  a  stock  to  be  called  "  The  Water  Stock  of  the  city  of  New  York-,"  at  five  per 
cent.,  interest. 

The  law  of  the  preceding  year,  authorising  the  appointment  of  Commissioners  having 
expired,  it  became  necessary  to  renew  it,  and  accordingly  on  the  2nd  May,  the  Legisla- 
ture passed  an  act  embracing  this  object,  and  that  of  the  Common  Council,  for  authori- 
ty to  raise  money. 

As  this  act  lies  at  the  foundation  of  the  noble  enterprise  of  which  we  are  recording 
the  progress  and.  accomplishment,  it  is  given  entire. 

AN    ACT 

To    PROVIDE    FOR    SUPPLYING    THE    ClTY    OF    NEW    YORK    WITH    PURE    AND 

WHOLESOME    WATER. 
(Passed  May  2,  1834.) 

The  People   of  the   State  of  New   York,  represented  in  Senate  and  Assembly,  do 
enact  as  follows  : 

§  1.  The  Governor  shall  nominate,  and  with  the  consentof  the  Senate,  shall  appoint 
five  persons,  to  be  known  as  the  Water  Commissioners  for  the  city  of  New  York,  who 
shall  be  citizens  and  inhabitants  of  the  said  city. 

§  2.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  said  Commissioners  to  examine  and  consider  all 
matters  relative  to  supplying  the  city  of  New  York  with  sufficient  quantity  of  pure  and 
wholesome  water,  for  the  use  of  its  inhabitants. 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT. 

§  3.  The  said  Commissioners  shall  have  power  to  employ  engineers,  surveyors,  and 
such  other  persons  as,  in  their  opinion,  may  be  necessary  to  enable  them  to  perform  their 
duties  under  this  act. 

§  4  The  said  Commissioners  shall  adopt  such  plan  as,  in  their  opinion,  may  be  most 
advantageous  for  procuring  such  supply  of  water ;  and  shall  ascertain,  as  nearly  as  may 
be,  what  amount  of  money  may  be  necessary  to  carry  the  same  into  effect :  and  for  such 
purpose,  they  shall  have  power  to  make  conditional  contracts,  subject  to  the  ratification  of 
the  Common  Council  of  the  city  of  New  York,  with  the  owner  or  owners  of  all  lands, 
tenements,  hereditaments,  rights  or  privileges  whatsoever,  which  may  be  required  accord- 
ing to  such  plan,  for  the  purchase  thereof,  at  stated  prices  ;  which  contracts  shall  be  so 
drawn  as  to  be  binding  upon  the  said  owners,  respectively,  in  case  the  same  shall  be 
ratified  by  the  said  Common  Council  within  two  years  from  the  passage  of  this  act. 

§  5.  The  said  Commissioners  shall  make  a  report  of  their  proceedings,  under  the 
foregoing  sections  of  this  act,  containing  a  full  statement  and  description  of  the  plan 
adopted  by  them ;  an  estimate  of  the  expense  thereof,  together  with  an  estimate  of  the 
probable  amount  of  revenue  to  accrue  to  the  city,  upon  the  completion  of  the  work  ;  with 
the  reasons  and  calculations  upon  which  their  opinions  and  the  said  estimates  may  be 
founded  :  and  all  such  other  information,  connected  with  the  object  of  their  appointment, 
as  they  may  deem  important. 

§  6  Such  report  shall  be  made  and  presented  to  the  Common  Council,  by  the 
Commissioners,  together  with  all  such  conditional  contracts  as  may  have  been  made  by 
them  by  virtue  of  this  act,  on  or  before  the  first  day  of  January,  which  will  be  in  the 
year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty-six. 

§  7.  In  case  the  plan  so  adopted  by  the  Commissioners,  shall  be  approved  of  by  the 
Common  Council,  they  shall  appoint  a  poll  to  be  open  on  the  days  upon  which  the  next 
annual  election  for  charter  officers  is  by  law  appointed  to  be  held ;  and  the  inspectors  of 
said  election  shall  provide  a  ballot  box,  with  suitable  lock  and  key,  and  the  electors  shall 
express  their  assent  or  refusal  to  allow  the  Common  Council  to  proceed  in  raising  the 
money  necessary  to  construct  the  works  as  aforesaid,  by  depositing  their  ballots  in  the  box 
provided  for  that  purpose  in  their  respective  wards.  And  those  electors  who  are  in  favor  of 
granting  the  necessary  power  to  the  Common  Council,  shall  each  deposite  a  ballot  containing 
the  word  "yes,"  written  or  printed  thereon  ;  and  those  who  are  opposed,  shall  each  deposite 
a  ballot  containing  the  word  "no,"  written  or  printed  thereon.  And  a  canvass  and 
return  of  the  votes  shall  be  made  by  the  inspectors  of  the  election,  in  the  same  manner  as 
is  now  prescribed  by  law,  in  regard  to  the  canvass  and  return  of  votes  for  charter  officers. 

§  8.  If  a  majority  of  the  said  electors  are  found  to  be  in  favor  of  the  measure,  it 
shall  then  be  lawful  for  the  Common  Council  to  instruct  the  Commissioners  to  proceed  in 
the  work  :  and  it  shall  also  be  lawful  for  the  Common  Council  to  raise  by  loan,  from  time 
to  time,  and  in  such  amounts  as  they  may  think  fit,  a  sum  not  exceeding  two  million  five 
hundred  thousand  dollars,  by  the  creation  of  a  public  fund  or  stock,  to  be  called,  "  The 
Water  Stock  of  the  City  of  New- York,"  which  shall  bear  an  interest  not  exceeding  five 
per  cent,  per  annum,  and  shall  be  redeemable  at  a  period  of  time  not  less  than  ten,  nor 
more  than  fifty  years,  from  and  after  the  passage  of  this  act. 

§  9.     It  shall  be  lawful  for  the  said  Mayor,  Aldermen  and  Commonalty  to  determine 
what  shall  be  the  nominal  amount  or  value  of  each  share  of  the  said  stock,  and  of  what 
31 


122,  MEMOJROFTHE 

number  of  shares  the  same  shall  consist ;  and  they  are  hereby  authorized  to  sell  and  dis- 
pose of  such  shares,  at  or  above  the  par  value  thereof,  either  at  public  auction  or  private 
sale,  or  to  raise  the  said  sum  of  money  by  subscription  for  such  stock,  in  the  mode  in 
."  which  the  stocks  of  banking  and  insurance  companies  are  usually  subscribed  for. 

§  10.  The  provisions  of  the  act  entitled  "  An  act  to  regulate  the  finances  of  the 
city  of  New- York,"  passed  June  8,  1812,  which  are  not  repugnant  to,  or  incompatible 
with  any  provision  in  this  act  contained,  shall  apply  to  the  said  stock. 

§  11.  The  moneys  to  be  raised  by  virtue  of  this  act,  shall  be  applied  and  expended 
to  and  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  the  city  of  New- York  with  pure  and  wholesome 
water,  according  to  the  plan  so  adopted  and  ratified,  with  such  immaterial  alterations  as 
may  be  necessary,  and  by  and  under  the  direction  of  the  said  Commissioners. 

§  12.  The  said  Commissioners  are  hereby  authorized  to  enter  upon  any  land  or 
water,  for  the  purpose  of  making  surveys,  and  to  agree  with  the  owner  of  any  property 
which  may  be  required  for  the  purposes  of  this  act,  as  to  the  amount  of  compensation  so 
paid  to  such  owner. 

§  13.  In  case  of  disagreement  between  the  Commissioners  and  the  owner  of  any 
property  which  may  be  required  for  the  said  purposes,  or  aifected  by  any  operation  con- 
nected therewith,  as  to  the  amount  of  compensation  to  be  paid  to  such  owner,  or  in  case 
any  such  owner  shall  be  an  infant,  a  married  woman,  or  insane,  or  absent  from  this  state, 
the  Vice  Chancellor  of  the  first  circuit  may,  upon  the  application  of  either  party,  nominate 
and  appoint  three  indifferent  persons  to. examine  such  property,  and  to  estimate  the  value 
thereof,  or  damage  sustained  thereby,  and  to  report  thereon  to  the  said  court  without 
delay. 

§  14.  Whenever  such  report  shall  have  been  confirmed  by  the  said  Vice-Chancellor, 
the  said  Commissioners  shall,  within  two  months  thereafter,  pay  to  the  said  owner,  or  to 
such  person  or  persons  as  the  court  may  direct,  the  sum  mentioned  in  said  report,  in  full 
compensation  for  the  property  so  required,  or  for  the  damage  sustained,  as  the  case  may 
be  ;  and  thereupon  the  said  Mayor,  Aldermen  and  Commonalty  shall  become  seized  in 
fee  of  such  property  so  required,  and  shall  be  discharged  from  all  claim  by  reason  of  any 
such  damage. 

§  15.  The  said  Commissioners,  in  behalf  of  the  said  Mayor,  Aldermen  and  Com- 
monalty, and  all  persons  acting  under  their  authority,  shall  have  the  right  to  use  the 
ground  or  soil  under  any  street,  highway  or  road,  within  this  state,  for  the  purpose  of 
introducing  water  into  the  city  of  New- York,  on  condition  that  they  shall  cause  the 
surface  of  such  street,  highway,  or  road,  to  be  restored  to  its  original  state,  and  all  dama- 
ges done  thereto  to  be  repaired. 

§  16.  If  any  person  shall  wilfully  do,  or  cause  to  be  done,  any  act,  whereby  any 
work,  materials,  or  property  whatsoever,  erected  or  used,  or  hereafter  to  be  erected  or  used, 
within  the  city  of  New  York,  or  elsewhere,  by  the  said  Mayor,  Aldermen  and  Commonalty, 
or  by  any  person  acting  under  their  authority,  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  or  keeping  a 
supply  of  water,  shall  in  any  manner  be  injured,  such  person,  on  convictiqn  thereof,  shall  be 
deemed  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor. 

§  17.  All  contracts  for  materials,  or  for  the  construction  of  the  work,  shall  be  made  in 
writing,  and  of  each  contract  three  copies  shall  be  taken,  which  shall  be  numbered  with  the 


CROTON    AdUEDUCT.  123 

same  number,  and  endorsed  with  the  date  of  the  contract,  with  the  name  of  the  contractor, 
and  a  summary  of  the  work  to  be  done,  or  materials  furnished. 

§  18.  One  of  such  copies  shall  be  retained  by  the  Commissioners,  another  shall  be 
deposited  with  the  Comptroller  of  the  city.  « 

§  19.  Public  notice  shall  be  given  of  the  time  and  place  at  which  sealed  proposals 
will  be  received  for  entering  into  contracts. 

§  20.  All  sealed  proposals  for  contracts  shall  be  for  a  sum  certain  as  to  the  price  to 
be  paid  or  received  ;  and  no  proposition,  which  is  not  thus  definite  and  certain,  or  which 
contains  any  alternative,  condition,  or  limitation  as  to  price,  shall  be  received  or  acted  upon. 

§  21.  No  more  than  one  proposition  shall  be  received  from  anyone  person  for  the 
same  contract,  and  all  the  propositions  of  the  person  offering  more  than  one,  shall  be 
rejected. 

§  22.  Every  person  who  shall  enter  into  any  contract  for  the  supply  of  materials,  or 
the  performance  of  labor,  shall  give  satisfactory  security  to  the  Commissioners  for  the 
faithful  performance  of  his  contract  according  to  its  terms. 

§  23.  All  materials  procured  or  partially  procured,  under  a  contract  with  the  Com- 
missioners, shall  be  exempt  from  execution  ;  but  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Commissioners 
to  pay  the  moneys  due  for  such  materials* to  the  judgment  creditor  of  the  contractor,  under 
whose  execution  such  materials  might  otherwise  have  been  sold,  upon  his  producing  to 
them  due  proof  that  his  execution  would  have  so  attached,  and  such  payment  shall  be  held 
a  valid  payment  on  the  contract. 

§  24.  The  Common  Council  shall  authorize  the  Commissioners  to  draw  upon  the 
Comptroller  of  the  city  for  any  sum  in  favor  of,  and  to  be  paid  to,  the  owner  of  any  lands, 
water  streams,  or  property  acquired  by  virtiie  of  this  act,  and  in  favor  of,  and  to  be  paid  to, 
any  contractor,  for  any  sum  due  upon  his  contract,  and  also  for  their  incidental  expenses. 
Such  drafts  shall  specify  the  objects  for  which  they  are  drawn,  in  the  manner  provided  in 
the  seventeenth  section  of  this  act,  as  nearly  as  may  be ;  and  the  Common  Council  shall 
make  it  the  duty  of  the  Comptroller,  to  pay  such  drafts  in  every  case  where  a  deed  or  other 
voucher  is  delivered  to  him,  or  a  copy  of  a  contract  has  been  filed  in  his  office,  and  a  du- 
plicate receipt  of  the  contractor  for  such  drafts  shall  be  presented  therewith. 

§  25.  They  shall  also  require  the  Comptroller  to  report  to  them  a  list  of  all  the  pay- 
ments made  by  him,  upon  the  orders  of  the  Commissioners,  once  in  every  six  months,  and 
previous  to  such  reports,  shall  have  the  accounts  of  the  Commissioners  and  of  the  Comp- 
troller examined  by  the  Finance  Committee  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen. 

The  Governor  and  Senate  re-appointed  the  same  Commissioners,  and  on  the  19th  of 
May,  they  announced  the  fact  to  the  Common  Council,  accompanied  with  a  brief  synop- 
sis of  the  law,  and  asking  their  decision,  "  whether  any  further  expense  would  be  in- 
curred or  not,"  in  prosecuting  the  work. 

On  July  23d.,  the  Common  Council  appropriated  $5,000  for  the  purpose  of  paying 
engineers,  surveyors,  and  other  persons  employed  by  the  Commissioners,  to  enable  them 


124  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

furt  her  to  perform  their  duties,  under  the  above  act,  and  to  make  another  report  to  the 
Common  Council,  which  report  shall  specify  as  near  as  may  be,  the  probable  supply  of 
water  which  can  be  obtained  within  the  county  ;  also  for  paying  the  necessary  expenses 
of  the  Commissioners  in  the  performance  of  their  duties  under  the  act. 

The  Commissioners  entered  zealously  on  their  duties,  and  as  the  report  they  made 
to  the  Common  Council  in  Feb.,  1835,  gives  a  very  intelligent  view  of  their  proceed- 
ings, and  those  of  their  engineers,  and  examines  moreover,  with  acuteness,  various,  pro- 
jects, that  had  been  agitated  in  opposition  to  that  of  constructing  an  Aqueduct  from 
the  Croton,  we  make  copious  extracts. 

To  the  Honorable  the  Common  Council  of  the  City  of  New  York  : 

The  Water  Commissioners  appointed  under  the  Act  of  the  Legislature  of  this  State, 
entitled,  "  An  Act  for  supplying  the  City  of  New  York  with  pure  and  wholesome  water," 
passed  the  2d.  of  May,  1834,  respectfully 

REPORT: 

That  the  undersigned  were  appointed  Commissioners,  under  an  Act  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, entitled  "  An  Act  for  the  appointment  of  Commissioners,  in  relation  to  supplying 
the  City  of  New- York  with  pure  and  wholesome  water,"  passed  February  26th,  1833, 
and  that  on  the  12th  of  November,  of  the  same  year,  they  had  the  honor  of  submitting 
to  the  Common  Council  a  report,  in  which  they  recommended  the  Croton  river  as  the 
only  sure  source  of  supply ;  both  on  account  of  its  capacity  and  the  purity  of  its  waters. 
Two  plans  were  proposed  for  conducting  the  water  by  aqueduct  to  the  city,  one  through 
the  interior  of  the  county  of  Westchester,  by  the  valley  of  the  Sawmill  river,  and  the 
other  through  the  valleys  of  the  Croton  and  Hudson  rivers,  until  the  two  lines  meet  a  few 
miles  east  of  the  village  of  Yonkers. 

They  avoided,  for  the  reason  stated  in  the  report  alluded  to,  making  any  selection  of 
the  route  preferred  between  the  interior  and  Hudson  river  routes,  presuming  that  the 
main  object  of  their  appointment  was  to  ascertain, 

1st.  Whether  a  sufficient  quantity  of  good  and  wholesome  water  could  be  obtained 
for  present  and  all  future  purposes. 

2d.  The  practicability  of  its  introduction  into  the  city,  at  an  elevation  that  would 
preclude  the  use  of  machinery.  And 

3d.  The  total  cost  of  completing  the  projected  work. 

It  will  be  seen,  as  they  think,  by  a  reference  to  their  report  of  November,  1833,  that 
they  have  conclusively  shown  that  the  supply  from  the  Croton  will  be  abundant,  the 
quality  of  the  water  unquestionable,  and  the  facility  of  introduction  beyond  dispute. 

The  act  under  which  they  hold  their  present  appointment  requires  of  them, 

1st.  To  examine  and  consider  all  matters  relative  to  supplying  the  city  of  New 
York  with  a  sufficient  quantity  of  pure  and  wholesome  water  ;  to  adopt  such  plan  as  in 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT.  125 

their  opinion  will  be  most  advantageous  for  securing  such  supply,  and  to  report  a  full 
statement  and  description  of  the  plan  adopted  by  them. 

2d.  To  ascertain,  as  near  as  may  be,  what  amount  of  money  may  be  necessary  to 
carry  the  same  into  effect 

3d.  To  report  an  estimate  of  the  probable  amount  of  revenue  that  will  accrue  to  the 
city,  upon  the  completion  of  the  work,  and  the  reasons  and  calculations  upon  which  their 
opinion  and  estimates  may  be  founded  ;  such  report  to  be  made  and  presented  to  the  Com- 
mon Council  of  this  city,  on  or  before  the  first  day  of  January,  1836, 

The  Commissioners  have  presumed,  however,  that  a  paramount  object  of  their  re- 
appointment  was  a  close  and  thorough  re-examination,  under  such  additional  lights  as 
time  and  further  reflection  may  have  produced,  of  the  plans  they  have  proposed,  and 
of  the  estimates  they  have  entered  into,  extending  their  inquiries  to  any  new  matter  allu- 
ded to  by  the  act  of  the  Legislature,  referred  to  them  by  the  Common  Council,  or  suggest- 
ed to  them  by  others,  for  effecting  the  object  in  view,  or,  as  improvements  upon  the  plans 
and  estimates  proposed  by  their  former  report. 

With  these  views  of  what  would  be  required  of  them,  and  in  order  to  test  the  cor- 
rectness of  the  plans  proposed  by  their  report  of  November,  1833,  the  Commissioners  en- 
gaged David  B.  Douglas,  Esq.,  to  re-examine  his  surveys,  levels  and  calculations,  and  to 
ascertain  whether  lines  for  an  aqueduct  may  not  be  designated  that  will  require  less  labor 
and  expense  than  those  recommended  by  the  report  of  1833  ;  whether  a  more  economi- 
cal method  of  constructing  the  aqueduct  may  not  be  adopted  ;  whether  the  cost  of  build- 
ing culverts  and  bridges,  making  excavations  and  embankments,  erecting  the  reservoirs, 
estimating  the  damages  to  water  rights,  &c.,  may  not  be  reduced  ;  whether  the  expense  of 
equalizing  reservoirs  may  not  be  dispensed  with  ;  and  finally,  whether  the  waters  of 
the  Croton  may  not  be  introduced  from  some  different  head,  or  by  some  other  method, 
and  at  a  much  less  cost,  than  that  estimated  in  the  report  of  1833. 

On  the  31st  of  December,  1833,  something  more  than  a  month  after  we  had  pre- 
sented our  report  to  the  Common  Council,  Mr.  D.  S.  Rhodes  addressed  a  communication 
to  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  proposing,  for  one  million  seven  hundred  thousand  dollars,  to 
introduce,  through  iron  pipes,  from  the  mouth  of  the  Croton  river,  six  million  gallons  of 
water  every  twenty-four  hours  ;  and  for  two  million  seven  hundred  thousand  dollars,  to 
introduce  sixteen  million  of  gallons  into  the  city  of  New  York,  at  an  elevation  of  125 
feet  above  low  water,  (see  Corporation  Document,  No.54  ;)  he  presented  another  commu- 
nication on  the  6th  of  January,  1834,  objecting  to  the  plan  proposed  by  our  engineer  in 
1833,  for  conducting  the  waters  of  the  Croton  to  the  city,  stating,  "  that  the  most  serious 
objection  he  has  to  urge  against  the  plan  is,  that  the  water,  however  pure  it  may  be  at 
the  fountain  head,  must  inevitably  become  contaminated  with  some  deleterious  substance 
passing  over  such  a  variety  of  soils,  and  amalgamating  so  many  mineral  substances." 
He  then  proposes  constructing  a  dam  near  the  Quaker  Bridge,  on  the  Croton  river,  45 
feet  high,  which  will  give  an  elevation  or  head  of  125  feet  above  tide  of  the  Hudson  ; 
"  from  this  dam  the  pipes  will  rise  gradually  until  they  pass  Sing  Sing,"  and  from  thence 
descend  to  the  shores  of  the  Hudson,  which,  (as  he  states)  "  forms  almost  a  straight  line 
to  the  city,  and  very  few  obstacles  to  overcome  ;  the  Harlem  river  will  be  crossed  at  very 
little  expense."  (See  Document,  No.  57.) 

On  the  20th  of  January,  1834,  Mr.  Rhodes  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Chairman 
of  the  Commissioners,  in  which  he  says,  "  The  natural  abutments  and  high  hills 

32 


MEMOIR    OF    THE 

near  the  Quaker  Bridge,  will  give  an  elevation  of  200  feet  above  the  tide,  if  required. 
The  canal  to  Sleepy  Hollow  will  be  on  a  level  with  the  dam,  which  gives  us  the  same 
head  at  Sleepy  Hollow  as  we  have  at  the  dam.  By  my  plan  we  arrive  at  Sleepy  Hollow, 
travelling  only  eight  miles  with  the  whole  of  the  Croton." 

On  the  18th  of  April,  1834,  Mr.  Rhodes  addressed  a  communication  to  the  Com- 
mittee of  the  Common  Council,  on  "  Fire  and  Water,"  in  which  he  proposes  to  build  a 
dam  at  a  point  about  four  miles  above  the  Quaker  Bridge,  of  32  feet  high.  From  this 
he  is  to  take  the  water  in  a  canal  10  feet  at  bottom,  34  feet  at  top,  and  8  feet  in  depth,  on 
the  same  line  nearly  as  that  proposed  for  the  Hudson  river  route,  in  our  report  of  Novem- 
ber, 1833,  to  a  reservoir  near  Harlem  river,  and  from  said  reservoir  to  cross  Harlem  river 
by  iron  pipes,  to  the  receiving  and  distributing  reservoir  on  the  island  of  New  York  ;  the 
Corporation  to  pay  all  damages  for  water  and  land  rights,  and  $1,700,000  in  cash,  when 
the  work  is  finished  according  to  contract ;  but  to  allow  him  interest  as  the  work  pro- 
gresses. (See  Document,  No.  109.) 

It  will  not  be  expected,  as  we  presume,  either  by  Mr.  Rhodes  or  by  the  Common 
Council,  that  the  Commissioners  should  place  much  reliance  upon  the  plans  and  proposi- 
tions of  a  gentleman,  .who  appears  to  have  given  the  subject  but  a  very  superficial  consi- 
deration at  most. 

How  he  is  to  convey  either  six  or  sixteen  millions  of  gallons  of  water  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Croton,  in  accordance  with  his  first  proposition,  and  at  an  elevation  of  125  feet 
above  low  water,  at  the  city  of  New  York,  it  would  puzzle  the  most  expert  proficient  in 
hydraulics  to  tell. 

By  his  communication  of  the  6th  of  January,  1834,  he  proposes  raising  a  dam  of  45 
feet  in  height,  near  the  Quaker  Bridge,  which  is  two  or  three  miles  above  the  mouth  of 
the  Cro'ton,  from  whence  the  water  was  to  be  taken,  as  first  contemplated.  From  this 
dam  the  water  is  to  be  carried  in  iron  pipes,  and  to  rise  gradually  until  they  pass  Sing 
Sing,  and  from  thence  descend  to  the  shores  of  the  Hudson,  and  so  on  to  the  city.  He 
states  that  these  shores  "form  a  straight  line,  and  very  few  obstacles  to  overcome;"  but 
the  map  of  the  river  shows  several  promontories  and  bays,  with  no  less  than  sixteen 
streams,  some  of  considerable  magnitude,  to  be  passed.  When  he  states  that  the  water 
can  be  delivered  .in  the  city,  at  an  elevation  of  125  feet,  while  his  fountain  is  only  of  that 
height ;  that  the  pipes  will  rise  gradually  until  they  pass  Sing  Sing,  which,  in  effect, 
would  be  making  water  run  uphill,  and  that  he  will  deliver  six  million  of  gallons  of  wa- 
ter, in  iron  pipes,  for  $1,700,000,  when  the  lowest  calculation  for  laying  a  line  of  30  inch 
pipes,  40  miles  in  length,  will  cost  $2,798,400,  and  will  only  deliver  about  three  millions 
of  gallons  every  twenty-four  hours  ;  we  ask,  what  confidence  can  be  placed  in  the  calcu- 
lations and  estimates  of  the  proposer  ? 

By  his  letter  of  the  20th  of  January,  1834,  he  says,  his  canal  to  Sleepy  Hollow  will 
be  on  a  level  with  the  dam;  and  by  this  canal,  having  no  descent  whatever,  he  calculates 
to  be  enabled  to  carry  the  whole  of  the  river  for  eight  miles,  and  thus  continue  the  same 
elevation  at  the  end  of  this  eight  miles,  that  he  has  at  his  fountain! ! 

By  his  communication  of  the  18th  April,  1834,  he  makes  a  total  change  in  his  pro- 
jects, and  states  that  he  will  build  a  dam  about  four  miles  above  the  Quaker  Bridge,  of 
32  feet  in  height,  and  from  thence  conduct  the  water  by  an  open  canal  of  10  feet  bottom, 
34  feet  top,  and  8  feet  deep,  to  the  height  near  Harlem  River.  His  first  proposition  was, 
to  take  the  water  from  the  mouth  of  the  river;  second,  from  near  the  Quaker  Bridge; 
and  third,  at  Garritson's  Mill,  about  four  miles  above  the  said  bridge.  Now,  although  this 


CROTON    AQUEDUCT,  127 

last  proposition  carries  with  it  the  semblance  of  feasibility,  there  is,  nevertheless,  noth- 
ing new  in  it :  for  he  only  offers  to  remove  the  dam  from  the  place  selected  by  our  engi- 
neer, to  a  position  some  miles  below  it,  while  he  follows  the  precise  line  designated  by  our 
report,  and  adopts  the  very  objectionable  plan  of  carrying  the  water  in  a  large  open  canal, 
instead  of  a  closed  aqueduct  of  masonry  as  proposed  by  us.  His  objections  to  the  aque- 
duct proposed  by  our  report,  on  account  of  the  water  running  through  it  becoming  con- 
taminated with  some  deleterious  substances,  and  his  decided  preference  to  iron  pipes,  ap- 
pear to  have  departed  from  his  memory  altogether ;  for  he  now  recommends  an  open  canal 
of  large  dimensions,  subject,  as  it  would  be,  to  the  numberless  casualties  incident  to  such 
constructions,  besides  being  the  receptacle  of  much  filth  in  its  long  passage,  the  wash  of 
the  country,  and  the  dissolving  of  the  mineral  and  other  substances  combined  with  the 
earth  through  which  it  passes.  The  complaint  raised  in  London  against  the  water  of  the 
New  River,  is  "that  being  an  open  canal,  it  is  subject  to  the  drainage  of  the  country 
through  which  it  runs,  in  consequence  of  a  right  claimed  by  the  proprietors  of  the  adja- 
cent lands,  and  which  the  company  have  no  means  of  obviating,  neither  have  they  any 
power  to  prevent  persons  from  bathing  in  their  aqueduct."  Mr.  Rhodes,  however,  has 
altogether  misconceived  the  construction  of  the  aqueduct  proposed  by  our  report,  for  in- 
stead of  its  admitting  any  of  these  substances  or  impurities,  it  was  to  be  impervious  on 
three  sides  to  any  external  fluid  or  substance  whatever,  and  on  the  fourth,  the  proposition 
was,  to  have  it  covered  with  a  board  or  shingle  roof. 

These  several  inconsistencies  have  tended  to  destroy  the  confidence  of  the  Commis- 
sioners in  the  projects  of  Mr.  Rhodes  ;  and  they  would  not  have  spent  so  much  time  on 
their  examination,  had  it  not  been  their  opinion  that  the  Common  Council  would  expect 
some  notice  of  a  proposition  that  offered  to  effect  the  important  object  of  supplying  this 
city  with  pure  and  wholesome  water,  at  a  cost  two-thirds  less  than  that  estimated  by  our 
engineer,  in  his  report  of  1833.  They  have,  therefore,  deemed  it  their  duty  to  ascertain 
by  actual  survey,  whether  a  dam  may  not  be  raised  at  some  point  nearer  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  than  that  proposed  by  their  report  of  1833,  from  which  might  be  drawn  an  equal 
quantity  of  water,  and  at  the  same  time  save  much  in  the  expenditure. 

To  effect  the  aforesaid  object,  the  Commissioners  engaged  John  Martineau,  Esq., 
civil  engineer,  to  make  the  necessary  surveys,  levels,  and  estimates,  having  special  refe- 
rence to  the  erection  of  a  lofty  dam  at  some  station  on  the  river  nearer  its  mouth  than  the 
place  selected  by  Major  Douglas  ;  to  ascertain  the  damag-e  that  would  ensue  by  overflow- 
ing the  land  and  injuring  the  mill  seats ;  and  to  estimate  the  expense  of  erecting  such 
dam  and  compensating  those  injuries ;  to  ascertain  and  report  the  best  plan  for  conveying 
the  water  from  said  dam  to  the  city  ;  the  quantity  per  diem  that  will  be  conveyed  by  the 
plan  recommended ;  the  cost  of  the  necessary  excavations,  embankments,  bridges,  cul- 
verts, and  reservoirs,  required  to  deliver  the  water  on  a  declivity  of  fifteen  inches  to  the 
mile,  to  a  receiving  reservoir  on  the  high  grounds  near  Harlem  river,  and  from  thence 
across  said  river  to  another  reservoir  of  sufficient  elevation,  near  Manhattan ville,  (should 
he  be  of  opinion  that  these  reservoirs  will  be  necessary,)  then  to  a  distributing  reservoir 
three  or  four  miles  from  the  City  Hall,  near  Thirty-eighth-street  and  the  Fifth  Avenue, 
preserving  an  elevation  of  117  to  120  feet  above  tide  at  said  reservoir;  but  if  any  of  the 
reservoirs  named  can  be  dispensed  with,  or  if  additional  ones  be  required,  to  report  the 
reasons  why,  and  to  conform  the  estimate  to  the  alterations  in  the  plan,  should  any  be 
commended :  to  furnish  a  report  in  writing,  with  a  profile  and  map  of  the  survey,  show- 
ing the  water  line  of  the  basin  formed  by  the  dam ;  the  land  that  Avill  be  overflowed  on 
both  sides  of  the  river ;  the  line  traced  for  the  aqueduct ;  the  depth  of  excavations  and  the 


MEMOIR    OF    THE 

height  of  embankments,  &c.,  in  order  that  a  plain  and  comprehensive  view  of  the  whole 
subject  may  be  given.  To  ascertain  whether  the  cost  of  erecting  a  high  dam,  at  or  near 
Garretson's  mill,  and  the  consequent  damage  that  will  accrue  by  the  overflowing  of  the 
land  and  injuring  mill  privileges,  will  be  greater  than  the  cost  of  taking  the  water  from  a 
higher  source  up  the  river. 

The  Commissioners  have  also  employed  George  W.  Cartwright,  Esq.,  a  civil  engi- 
neer, residing  at  the  village  of  Sing  Sing,  and  who  possesses  much  local  knowledge  of  the 
Croton  and  its  vicinity,  to  run  levels  on  both  sides  of  said  river,  starting  from  Garretson's 
mill,  at  a  height  of  thirty-eight  feet,  and  carrying  his  levels  up  until  they  loose  themselves 
at  the  surface  of  the  water,  in  order  to  ascertain  what  quantity  of  land  would  be  over- 
flowed with  water  by  the  erection  of  a  high  dam  at  the  aforesaid  station. 

The  next  subject  which  claimed  the  attention  of  the  Commissioners  was  the  duty 
imposed  upon  them  by  the  Ordinance  of  the  Common  Council,  passed  the  24th  of  July, 
1834,  which  requires  them  to  specify  in  their  report  "  the  probable  supply  of  water  that 
can  be  obtained  within  the  county." 

The  Commissioners  have  presumed  that  this  provision  of  the  Ordinance  has  no  allu- 
sion to  the  water  that  may  be  obtained  by  deep  boring  in  the  rock,  or  from  the  sinking  of 
wells,  as  that  subject  was  thoroughly  examined  by  them  in  their  report  of  1833 ;  and 
they  have  had  no  reason,  since  that  period,  to  change  the  opinion  then  formed.  They 
have  understood,  however,  an  idea  has  been  entertained  by  some  of  the  members  of  the 
Common  Council,  that  a  large  quantity  of  water  may  be  obtained  from  springs  originating 
in  the  high  lands  near  Harlem  and  Manhattanville.  It  was  no  doubt  this  opinion  which, 
in  1826,  induced  the  application  to  the  Legislature,  by  several  of  our  citizens,  for  an  act 
of  incorporation.  This  act  was  passed  on  the  18th  of  April.  1826,  and  is  entitled  "An 
act  to  incorporate  the  New- York  and  Harlem  Spring  Water  Company."  Anson  G.  Phelps 
and  James  Renwick,  Esquires,  and  their  associates,  are  declared  a  body  corporate  for  the 
purpose  of  supplying  the  city  of  New- York  with  pure  and  wholesome  water.  The  Di- 
rectors named  are  gentlemen  of  respectability  and  character,  who  would  not  have  request- 
ed a  charter,  unless  they  intended  to  carry  it  into  effect,  if  practicable.  The  water  was 
to  be  taken  from  wells  near  Harlem  Commons,  where  it  was  supposed  abundance  of  the 
pure  element  existed.  Experiments  were  accordingly  made  by  sinking  shafts,  &c.,  but 
no  water  was  found  in  sufficient  quantity  to  warrant  any  further  expense,  and  the  compa- 
ny ceased  to  exist  by  nonuser. 

In  order  to  be  satisfied  for  ourselves,  however,  as  to  the  reality  of  the  supposition  that 
water  was  to  be  obtained  in  any  considerable  quantity  in  that  part  of  our  island,  the  Com- 
missioners carefully  inspected  the  grounds  and  situations  alluded  to,  and  are  fully  con- 
vinced that  no  dependence  can  be  placed  upon  the  receipt  of  a  supply  of  water  from  those 
sources,  any  more  than  from  deep  boring  or  the  sinking  of  capacious  wells.  There  was 
a  well  under  the  operation  of  boring,  near  Yorkville,  on  the  day  the  Commissioners  made 
their  examination.  The  augur  had  penetrated  90  feet  from  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and 
no  water  was  produced,  and  it  was  intended  to  descend  fifty  feet  in  addition,  if  found  ne- 
cessary. Several  of  the  wells  on  Harlem  flats  were  found  to  average  from  sixteen  to 
eighteen  feet  in  depth,  and  to  contain  from  two  to  three  feet  of  water.  At  Manhattanville, 
one  of  the  wells,  on  the  slope  of  the  public  road,  was  forty-two  feet  in  depth,  and  no  wa- 
ter ;  another,  three  or  four  hundred  feet  below  on  the  same  road,  was  seventeen  feet  deep, 
and  contained  two  feet  of  water.  The  Commissioners  also  examined  several  small 


CROTON    AdUfiDUCT,  129 

springs  issuing  from  the  high  hills  near  Manhattanville,  and  one  near  the  Hudson 
river,  and  were  informed  there  were  several  others  that  had  disappeared,  caused,  as 
was  supposed,  by  the  filling  up  of  a  portion  of  the  Harlem  Canal.  The  Commissioners 
were  also  informed,  that  in  excavating  this  canal,  which  sunk  several  feet  below  tide,  the 
wells  in  the  vicinity  were  deprived  of  water.  The  fact  is,  as  the  Commissioners  think, 
that  the  same  principle  in  respect  to  the  obtaining  of  fresh  water,  operates  in  every  part  of 
our  island,  namely,  that  the  earth  becomes  so  saturated,  at  a  depth  on  a  level  with  the  tide 
on  the  East  and  North  rivers,  that  water  will  not  descend  lower ;  and  in  the  digging  of 
wells,  where  the  rock  does  not  interfere,  water  is  uniformly  found  at  that  depth. 

Any  supply  from  the  sources  alluded  to,  therefore,  would  be  entirely  inadequate  to 
answer  all  the  various  purposes  of  domestic  consumption  ;  to  supply  the  numerous  manu- 
factories that  would  spring  up  in  the  northern  and  eastern  parts  of  the  city,  the  increasing 
number  of  shipping  daily  departing  from  this  port,  the  extinguishment  of  fires,  and  the 
washing  and  cleansing  of  the  streets  and  sewers  of  this  metropolis.  Nothing  less  than  a 
river,  distributed  through  thousands  of  channels,  and  brought  to  the  premises  of  every 
householder,  will  be  commensurate  to  the  wants  of  a  population  such  as  the  city  of  New- 
York  contains,  and  will  contain. 

If  further  evidence  was  required,  the  Commissioners  might  refer  to  the  experience  of 
other  populous  cities  and  villages,  both  in  our  own  and  other  countries.  Their  example 
ought,  surely,  to  have  some  weight  with  us,  when  making  up  an  opinion  on  this  subject. 
To  suppose  that  they  would  expend  millions  of  money  to  procure  water  from  a  distant 
source,  or  to  raise  it  from  their  rivers  by  powerful  machinery,  when  at  the  same  time  they 
could  obtain  a  sufficient  supply,  and  as  good  an  article,  at  a  comparatively  trifling  expense, 
by  sinking  wells  within  the  bounds  of  the  city  or  village,  is  to  suppose  them  destitute  of 
common  sense  and  prudence. 

By  a  "report  on  the  subject  of  introducing  pure  and  wholesome  water  into  the  city  of 
Boston,  by  Loami  Baldwin,  Esq.  Civil  Engineer,"  it  appears  that  a  careful  investigation 
was  made  of  the  character,  quality,  and  uses  of  the  water  taken  from  the  city  wells.  The 
whole  number  of  wells  in  that  city  was  ascertained  to  be  2767.  The  water  from  2085  of 
these  wells  was  drinkable,  though  brackish  and  hard,  and  682  of  them  were  bad  and  unfit 
for  use.  There  were  only  seven  of  the  city  wells  which  yielded  soft  water,  occasionally 
used  for  washing,  and  from  thirty-three  of  them  the  water  was  obtained  by  deep  boring. 
"Within  a  few  years,  (says  the  report,)  it  has  become  common  in  Boston,  and  the  vicinity, 
to  bore  for  water,  and  to  make  what  is  called  Artesian  wells.  But  no  certain  or  valuable 
result  has  grown  out  of  these  endeavors.  I  cannot  find  that  any  geological  science  has 
been  acquired  by  any  one  to  guide  or  check  these  fruitless  attempts  ;  and  great  sums  of 
money  are  idly  expended  every  year  upon  mere  projects  founded  on  guess-work.  There 
are  thirty-three  bored  wells,  only  two  of  which  are  stated  as  furnishing  soft  water."  With 
very  little  variation,  as  the  Commissioners  think,  this  description  of  the  wells  in  Boston, 
will  not  inaptly  apply  to  the  situation  of  the  public  wells  in  this  city,  the  most  of  which 
produce  nothing  but  hard  and  brackish  water,  and  no  one  of  which,  so  far  as  the  Commis- 
sioners are  informed,  is  sufficiently  soft  to  authorize  its  use  in  washing  clothes,  &c. 

On  the  27th  of  October,  1834,  the  Board  of  Aldermen  referred  to  the  Commissioners 
a  communication  from  John  Hunter,  in  which  he  states  that  he  has  matured  a  plan,  by 
which  an  abundant  supply  of  water  may  be  obtained,  on  very  reasonable  terms ;  that  he 
proposed  applying  to  the  Legislature  for  a  charter,  and  if  the  Common  Council  would 
consent  to  the  application,  and  render  such  facilities  for  its  success  as  may  be  in  theiv 

33 


MEMOIR    OF    THE 

power,  they  may  have  such  control  over  the  company  as  will  cause  a  forfeiture  of  the 
charter,  in  the  event  of  any  neglect  in  fulfilling  its  provisions.  But  if  the  Common  Coun- 
cil are  determined  to  keep  the  project  in  their  own  hands,  the  plan  he  has  to  propose,  is  the 
most  certain  and  cheapest  that  can  be  adopted,  and  can  be  commenced  immediately,  and 
put  in  operation  in  a  shorter  time  than  any  other. 

The  Chairman  of  the  Commissioners  waited  on  Mr.  Hunter  accordingly,  in  order  to 
obtain  some  idea  of  the  plan  he  alluded  to.  He  declined  an  explanation,  however,  but 
appeared  willing  to  communicate  his  views  to  two  or  three  of  the  Commissioners,  in  con- 
fidence. This  was  declined  on  our  part,  on  the  principle  that  the  Commissioners  were 
bound  to  report  to  the  Common  Council  any  and  all  the  information  they  possessed  on 
the  subject  of  supplying  this  city  with  water,  and  they  could  not  therefore  receive  any 
communication  under  the  injunction  of  secrecy. 

On  the  8th  of  November,  Mr.  Hunter,  in  accordance  with  a  previous  arrangement,  met 
the  Commissioners  at  their  room  in  the  Hall  of  Records.  That  portion  of  the  act  of  the 
Legislature,  which  requires  the  Commissioners  to  "make  a  report,  containing  a  full  state- 
ment and  description  of  the  plan  adopted  by  them,  and  an  estimate  of  the  expenses  there- 
of," was  read  to  Mr.  Hunter,  and  he  was  at  the  same  time  informed,  if  he  communicated 
his  plan  to  the  Commissioners,  and  if  they  adopted  it,  they  would  so  report  to  the  Common 
Council ;  if  they  rejected  it,  they  would  so  report,  with  their  reasons  for  such  rejection. 
Mr.  Hunter  finally  promised  to  communicate  his  views  to  the  Commissioners  in  writing. 

On  the  17th  of  November  a  communication  was  received  from  Mr.  Hunter,  stating, 
among  other  observations  not  material  to  the  matter  in  hand,  that  he  deemed  it  necessary 
to  make  his  communication  preliminary  to  a  full  development  at  a  future  time  ;  that  his 
object  in  withholding  his  communication  from  the  Commissioners  was,  that  he  may  have 
some  assurance  from  the  Common  Council,  that  his  plan  will  not  be  made  use  of  without 
his  consent  and  approbation.  He  states  that  he  "  will  now  develope  a  part  of  the  plan, 
and  then  make  a  proposition  to  carry  it  into  effect,  not  expecting  that  it  would  be  accepted 
without  a  full  development,  but  merely  to  bring  the  subject  to  a  tangible  point."  He 
then  proposes  to  deliver  a  sufficient  supply  of  pure  water  for  all  present  purposes,  "  in  a 
permanent  aqueduct,  ot  sufficient  capacity,  at  the  base  of  Harlem  heights,  below  the  sur- 
face on  the  north  side,  ready  and  suitable  to  be  elevated  to  the  height  that  it  may  be 
necessary  for  conveying  it  to  the  city."  He  further  states,  that  he  will  build  a  reservoir 
of  sufficient  capacity,  and  erect  the  machinery  for  raising  the  water  to  the  reservoir,  for 
one  million  seven  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  ;  the  Corporation  to  pay  all  damages 
for  land  and  water  rights  ;  to  receive  the  water  from  the  said  reservoir,  and  to  construct 
such  other  reservoirs  and  fixtures,  for  distributing  the  water,  as  they  may  deem  necessary. 
The  plan  of  Mr.  Hunter,  as  he  states,  "  would  embrace  all  the  water  the  engineers  show 
in  their  surveys  and  reports,  or,  in  fact,  all  surface  or  running  water  of  the  county  of 
West  Chester."  "That  the  whole  can  be  completed  within  four  years  from  the  time  it  is 
commenced,  and  a  partial  supply  may  be  had  in  a  shorter  time,  and  before  the  whole  is 
completed." 

This  is  the  substance  of  the  information  communicated  to  the  Commissioners  by  Mr. 
Hunter,  which,  without  further  remark,  is  respectfully  submitted  to  the  Common  Council, 
together  with  his  communication,  which  accompanies  this  report. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  the  Commissioners  have  received  a  communication,  dated 
the  21st  of  November,  1834,  from  Mr.  Bradford  Seymour,  of  Utica,  suggesting  the  follow- 
ing plan  for  supplying  the  city  with  water. 


CROTON    AQUEDUCT.  131 

Mr.  Seymour  proposes  to  erect  a  permanent  dam  in  the  Hudson  river,  extending  from 
this  city,  at  or  near  the  site  of  the  old  State  Prison,  at  the  foot  of  Amos-street,  to  the  Jersey 
shore,  so  as  to  elevate  the  surface  of  the  water  within  the  said  dam,  from  18  to  24  inches 
above  high  tide.  He  estimates  the  expense  of  this  erection  at  one  million  two  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  dollars,  and  for  the  construction  of  as  many  ship  locks  as  may  be  proper,  at 
one  hundred  and  forty  thousand  dollars  each.  If  deemed  necessary  to  build  a  lock  in  the 
centre,  or  channel  of  the  river,  it  would  add  to  the  expense  from  one  to  two  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  more. 

The  advantages  to  be  derived,  Mr.  Seymour  states,  will  be,  1st.  That  the  waters  of 
the  Hudson,  coming  from  the  high  lands  around  the  Sacondagoand  Mohawk  rivers,  are  the 
purest  in  the  United  States.  2d.  That  a  hydraulic  power  equal  to  thirty  thousand  horses, 
may  thus  be  obtained,  twenty-seven  thousand  of  which  may  be  employed  for  manufactur- 
ing purposes,  and  three  thousand  used  for  elevating  the  water  to  the  reservoir  for  supplying 
the  city.  3d.  That  by  raising  the  water  in  the  city  above  said  dam  to  the  height  he  pro- 
poses, all  overslaughs  and  bars  will  be  removed  by  the  down  current,  and  any  vessel  capa- 
ble of  entering  the  harbor  of  New  York,  may  proceed  to  Albany  and  Troy  without  obstruc- 
tion. 4th.  That  a  safe  and  easy  communication  between  this  city  and  Albany,  on  the  ice, 
for  three  months  in  the  year,  may  be  effected.  That  no  injury  will  be  caused  to  the  land 
on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson,  as  the  water  within  the  dam  will  never  be  higher  than  it  now 
is  in  high  tides  and  freshets.  Another  of  the  advantages  is,  that  solid  and  pure  ice  may  be 
obtained  at  a  small  expense. 

On  the  29th  of  November  Mr.  Seymour  made  a  further  communication,  in  which 
he  states,  that  the  grounds  upon  which  he  desires  to  be  understood,  are,  that  his  estimate  is 
predicated  on  the  supposition  that  he  is  at  liberty  to  select  the  site  of  the  dam,  to  build 
the  coffer-dam  as  he  may  desire,  and  the  lock  or  locks  of  such  dimensions  as  he  may 
deem  necessary  for  the  useful  navigation  of  the  Hudson  river. 

That  he  will  build  the  said  dam  for  one  million  five  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and 
the  said  locks  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  each,  and  the  coffer-dam  for 
two  hundred  thousand  dollars.  If  a  different  site  from  that  he  has  named,  shall  be 
selected,  then  he  will  build  the  dam  for  any  price  agreed  upon  by  referees,  composed  of 
Civil  Engineers,  furnish  the  requisite  security,  and  guarantee  its  durability  for  five  years  ; 
he  will  require  two  years,  from  the  first  of  August  next,  to  form  the  dam  up  to  low  water 
line  ;  let  it  settle  the  third  year,  and  finish  the  whole  by  the  first  of  August,  1839. 

The  powers  delegated  to  the  Commissioners,  and  to  the  Common  Council  of  this 
city,  by  the  act  of  2d  of  May,  1834,  cannot  extend  to  a  project  which  contemplates  erect- 
ing a  dam  in  the  Hudson  river,  beyond  the  boundary  line  of  the  State  of  New  York.  It 
is  true,  the  act  makes  it  the  duty  of  the  Commissioners  to  examine  and  consider  all 
matters  relative  to  the  supply  of  this  city  with  pure  and  wholesome  water ;  to  adopt  a 
plan,  and  to  report  it  to  the  Common  Council.  If  the  Common  Council  approve  the 
plan,  it  is  to  be  submitted  to  the  ballot-box,  and  if  concurred  in  by  a  majority  of  votes, 
the  Common  Council  may  borrow  the  money,  and  the  Commissioners  may  proceed  to 
carry  the  plan  into  effect.  The  operation,  however,  must  be  performed  within  this  State, 
and  under  the  jurisdiction  of  its  government,  and  not  extend  into  the  territory  of  another 
State,  as  the  plan  for  damming  the  Hudson  evidently  does.  The  Commissioners  have  not 
deemed  it  their  duty,  therefore,  to  incur  any  expense,  by  engaging  Engineers  to  ascertain 
the  most  eligible  site  for  a  dam,  reservoir,  &c.,  or  for  sounding  the  river,  or  estimating 
the  expense  of  erecting  the  dam,  locks,  reservoir,  milKbuildings,  sluices,  pumps,  &c.,  but 


MEMOIR    OP    THE 

have  confined  themselves  to  a  mere  outline  of  the  plan,  as  proposed  by  Mr.  Seymour,  and 
to  a  brief  statement  of  some  of  the  difficulties  to  be  overcome,  which  have  appeared  to  them 
inevitable,  and  which  they  will  now  proceed  to  designate. 

1st.  The  great  and  leading  object  of  the  act  of  the  Legislature  is,  to  procure  a  plen- 
tiful supply  of  pure  and  wholesome  water  for  the  use  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  city. 
Now,  although  the  Commissioners  have  no  reason  to  doubt  that  the  waters  of  the  upper 
Hudson  are  perfectly  pure,  and  that  by  building  a  water-tight  dam  across  the  river,  from 
this  city  to  the  shores  of  New  Jersey,  the  salt  water  will  be  ejected,  and  the  fresh  will 
take  its  place  above  the  dam,  yet  we  fear,  that,  in  locking  vessels  up,  more  or  less  of  the 
salt  water  below  the  dam  will  follow  them,  and  although  the  quantity  may  be  compara- 
tively small,  the  constant  repetition  of  the  operation,  by  the  hundreds  of  vessels  going 
through  the  locks,  both  day  and  night,  may,  perhaps,  be  the  means  of  unfitting  the  water, 
in  a  measure  at  least,  for  domestic  use. 

2nd.  The  project  cannot  be  carried  into  effect,  except  by  an  Act  of  the  Legislature 
of  New  Jersey,  as  well  as  by  this  State,  and  perhaps  by  the  Congress  of  the  United  States. 
If  all  navigable  rivers  are  common  highways,  it  is  a  question  at  least,  whether  obstruc- 
tions can  be  placed  in  them  without  interfering  with  the  powers  of  Congress  to  regulate 
the  Commerce  of  the  Nation. 

3rd.  It  must  be  conceded,  as  the  Commissioners  think,  that  the  building  of  the  pro- 
posed dam  would  be  an  obstruction  of  more  or  less  magnitude  to  the  navigation  of  the 
river;  for  although  a  vessel  may  be  locked  through  in  10  or  15  minutes,  as  asserted  by 
Mr.  Seymour,  still,  if  we  revert  to  the  great  number  of  vessels  passing  and  repassing  the 
proposed  site  of  the  dam,  it  can  hardly  be  otherwise,  but  that  there  would  be  much  deten- 
tion. 

4th.  Not  having  found  any  data  in  the  office  of  the  Street  Commissioner,  by  which 
to  estimate  the  difficulties  to  be  encountered,  in  building  the  contemplated  dam,  we  can 
only  refer  to  the  known  obstructions  frequently  experienced  in  sinking  piers  and  bulk- 
heads in  both  the  East  and  North  rivers,  owing  principally  to  the  large  accumulation  of 
mud  at  the  bottom  of  those  rivers,  which  offen  baffles  the  calculations  and  art  of  the  buil- 
der. We  have  been  informed  too  that  the  water,  400  feet  from  the  shore,  some  distance 
above  the  site  of  the  proposed  dam,  is  about  30  feet  in  depth,  and  the  mud  at  the  bottom 
not  less  than  8  or  10  feet :  and  it  is  conjectured,  that  in  the  channel  of  the  river,  the  water 
and  mud  is  not  less  than  40  or  50  feet  deep.  The  width  of  the  river  is  more  than  a  mile 
across,  and  whether  a  dam  of  sufficient  solidity  and  strength  can  be  erected  in  a  river  of 
this  width,  and  with  a  current  running  at  the  rate  of  the  Hudson,  and  capable  of  with- 
standing the  pressure  of  the  immense  body  of  water  that  would  be  behind  it  when  the 
tide  is  down,  are  questions  the  Commissioners  are  not  prepared  to  answer. 

5th.  Mr.  Seymour  is  of  opinion  that  no  injury  will  be  done  to  the  land  on  the  banks 
of  the  Hudson  by  the  rise  of  water  within  the  dam  ;  but,  the  Commissioners  think,  the 
rising  of  the  water  permanently,  two  feet  above  its  ordinary  level,  together  with  the  occa- 
sional freshets  which  occur,  must  cause  a  covering  with  water,  on  some  of  the  low  lands 
lying  on  the  margin  of  the  river,  for  several  miles  above  the  city.  Whe.ther  the  damming 
the  river  at  the  place  proposed,  will  be  the  means  of  removing  the  alluvial  bars  below 
Troy  and  Albany,  or  permitting  vessels  of  a  large  class  to  proceed  to  Albany  and  Troy, 
without  obstruction,  as  contended  by  Mr.  Seymour,  the  Commissioners  have  no  means  of 
deciding. 

6th.  If  the  river,  as  low  down  as  the  proposeds  ite  for  the  dam,  will  be  closed  by  a 


CROTON    AQUEDUCT.  133 

covering  of  ice  for  three  months  in  the  year,  we  should  think  the  cutting  off  so  much  of 
the  navigation  would  produce  more  injury  than  the  privilege  of  proceeding  to  Albany  on 
the  ice,  or  of  procuring  a  supply  of  that  article  for  the  use  of  those  who  require  it,  would 
produce  benefits. 

7th.  The  shad  fishery  on  the  Hudson  is  considered  of  much  importance  to  those 
who  follow  the  business,  as  well  as  to  those  who  consume  the  article,  and  we  should  pre- 
sume the  erecting  of  the  contemplated  dam  would  totally  destroy  the  fisheries,  and  ruin 
the  business  of  those  who  depend  on  it  for  a  living. 

8th.  In  addition  to  the  above,  the  Commissioners  have  obtained  the  opinion  of  Fred- 
erick Graff,  Esq.  the  Superintendent  of  the  water  works  at  Fairmount.  He  thinks  a 
dam  of  24  inches  above  high  tide  will  not  answer  the  purpose  intended,  as  the  space  of 
time  that  the  wheels  could  work  in  pumping  the  water  to  the  reservoir,  would  be  entirely 
too  short  to  insure  a  supply.  That  although  the  dam  on  the  Schuylkill  river  is  raised  six 
feet  six  inches  above  the  highest  tides,  the  delay  in  pumping,  occasioned  by  the  tides, 
average  seven  hours  out  of  the  twenty-four ;  and  in  full  moon  tides,  from  eight  to  nine 
hours.  He  considers  the  impediments  to  the  trade  on  the  river,  by  locking  vessels 
through  the  dam,  so  objectional,  that  he  is  induced  to  conclude  that  the  project  cannot  be 
beneficial.  To  raise  the  dam  higher,  appears  to  be  out  of  the  question,  as  it  would  not 
only  destroy  all  the  wharf  and  store  property  of  the  city,  above  the  dam,  but  would  also 
destroy  so  much  land  as  to  occasion  the  damage  claims  alone,  a  reason  for  abandoning 
the  project.  He  thinks  the  advantages  calculated  on  by  the  proposer  of  the  plan,  if  they 
could  be  trebled,  would  not  compensate  for  the  injury  to  the  navigation  of  the  river ; 
and  after  having  incurred  the  expense,  we  should  still  be  deficient  in  the  primary  object 
of  giving  to  New  York  a  copious  and  wholesome  supply  of  pure  water.  He  is  of  opin- 
ion, if  a  bridge  could  be  built  across  the  Hudson,  without  injury  to  the  trade  of  this  great 
river,  a  supply  of  water  might  be  obtained  from  the  Passaic  Falls  ;  but,  as  that,  in  all  pro- 
bability, will  not  be  done,  it  appears  to  him  that  the  only  safe  resource  to  be  relied  on  is 
the  Croton,  which  may  be  introduced  at  a  less  expense  than  the  proposed  object  of  dam- 
ming the  Hudson.  The  elevated  situation  of  the  Croton  will  allow  the  artizan  to  make 
it  applicable  and  certain  to  give  a  copious  supply  of  water  without  hazard  The  plan 
proposed,  he  says,  could  not  be  effected  but  at  an  expense  of  more  than  four  millions  of 
dollars.  It  would  still  be  insufficient  for  a  permanent  water  power.  It  would  destroy 
the  navigation,  and  it  would  not  benefit  the  shoals  near  Albany  ;  he  is  of  opinion,  there- 
fore, that  it  would  do  all  harm  and  no  good ;  it  would  dissipate  the  funds  that  might  en- 
sure a  copious  supply  of  water  from  another  source,  and  which  could  be  relied  on,  pro- 
vided the  work  shall  be  properly  executed. 

Thus  much,  the  Commissioners  have  deemed  it  expedient  to  say  on  this  important 
subject,  leaving  it  to  the  Common  Council  to  decide,  whether  the  inquiry  shall  be  further 
prosecuted,  or  whether  they  will  adopt  the  plan  which  the  Commissioners  may  recom- 
mend pursuant  to  the  letter  and  evident  intentions  of  the  act  of  the  Legislature,  by  which 
they  have  been  guided  in  their  examinations  and  researches,  and  under  which  they  hold 
their  office. 

The  Commissioners  then  proceed  to  present  a  synopsis  of  the  report  made  by  Mr, 
Douglas,  Mr.  Martineau,  and  Mr.  Cartwright,  as  well  as  the  results  of  information  ob- 
tained by  them  from  Mr.  A.  Stein,  relating  to  the  route,  modes  of  construction,  and  cost 
34 


134  MEMOIR    OF    THfi 

thereof,  of  an  aqueduct  from  the  Croton,  that  on  all  hands  being  adopted  as  the  only  ad* 
visable  plan.  As  in  a  subsequent  part  of  this  Memoir,  we  shall  have  occasion  to  detail 
with  some  minuteness,  the  particulars,  on  all  these  heads,  of  the  route  finally  adopted  and 
perfected,  our  readers  will  feel  that  analagous  details  here  would  be  superfluous. 

Suffice  it  here  to  say,  that  upon  striking  an  average  of  the  various  estimates  of  the 
cost  of  introducing  and  distributing  the  Croton  water,  the  Commissioners  report  it  at  five 
and  a  half  millions  of  dollars. 

They  next  estimate  the  source  and  amount  of  revenue. 

Proceeding  upon  the  facts  furnished,  and  by  the  experience  of  other  cities,  both  in  the 
United  States  and  Europe,  and  upon  calculations  founded  in  most  cases  upon  information 
derived  from  personal  inquiry  at  the  houses,  hotels,  taverns,  livery  stables,  shipping,  &c.j 
as  to  the  amount  annually  paid  for  water  obtained  from  the  water  carriers,  and  other 
sources  of  supply,  and  as  to  the  sum  that  would  willingly  be  paid  for  water,  if  brought  to 
the  premises  or  establishments  of  the  persons  inquired  of,  the  Commissioners  compiled 
the  table,  on  the  following  page,  relative  to  the  probable  receipts  from  the  Croton  water. 

After  entering  into  copious  details  in  justification  of  their  estimate,  they  still  further 
justify  their  calculation  by  this  statement. 

An  opinion  is  gaining  ground  with  many  of  those  who  require  large  quantities  of 
water  for  conducting  their  business,  that  the  supply  on  this  island  is  annually  diminish- 
ing. The  Commissioners  have  understood  that  at  the  chemical  works  on  the  North 
river,  at  33d  street,  and  at  an  extensive  turpentine  distillery  on  the  East  river,  some  dis- 
tance above  the  Alms  House,  water  cannot  be  procured  in  sufficient  quantity  from  the 
large  wells  on  their  premises,  where  but  a  few  years  past,  it  was  obtained  in  abundance  j 
and,  consequently,  they  are  now  compelled  to  cart  a  portion  of  their  water  from  a  distant 
place  on  the  island.  At  the  gas  works,  situated  on  the  Collect  grounds,  where  they  have 
a  well  twenty  feet  in  depth,  by  eighteen  feet  in  diameter,  which,  until  the  present  season, 
furnished  water  freely,  enabling  the  engine  to  raise  20,000  gallons  in  ten  hours,  now  re- 
quires fourteen  to  sixteen  hours  to  raise  the  same  quantity  ;  and  in  order  to  continue  the 
supply  it  has  been  found  necessary  to  return  the  water  to  the  well  after  using  it  for  con- 
densing the  gas.  The  Commissioners  are  also  informed,  that  the  Corporation  well  on 
13th  street,  which  formerly  yielded  120.000  gallons  of  water  each  day,  will  now  only  pro- 
duce from  five  to  ten  thousand.  To  remedy  this  evil,  a  well  has  been  sunk  at  Jefferson 
Market,  which  has  deprived  most  of  the  wells  in  that  vicinity  of  water ;  thus  drying  up 
one  source  of  supply,  in  order  to  increase  that  of  another.  These  are  important  facts,  and 
ought  not  to  be  lost  sight  of  by  the  municipal  authorities,  or  by  the  people  of  this  me- 
tropolis. 

As  if  to  leave  nothing  unexamined  or  unsaid  that  might  determine  the  authorities  and 
citizens  of  New  York  to  undertake  this  noble  and  useful  enterprize,  which  it  was  made 
the  duty  of  their  Commissioners  to  report  upon,  the  effect  of  bad  water  upon  the  health  of 

' 


CROTON    AQUEDUCT. 


13B 


cities  is  illustrated  by  many  striking  examples,  and  the  report,  marked  with  great  research 
and  ability,  and  pervaded  throughout  by  an  earnest  spirit,  thus  concludes-; 

The  quantity  of  water,  in  order  to  be  effectual,  in  preserving  the  city  from  disease, 
must  not  be  limited  to  the  ordinary  wants  of  domestic  consumption  merely,  nor  ought  it 


I 

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Description  of  Water  Takers. 

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f  •< 

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3 

111 

1 

Dwelling  houses,     - 

20,000 

$8  00 

$160,000  00 

Back  tenements, 

2,000 

4  00 

8,000  00 

Taverns, 

2,646 

15  00 

39,690  00 

"Baths,                 

2,000 

4  00 

8,000  00 

Livery  stables,                  ... 

86 

52  00 

4,500  00 

Horses,       -                 -                 - 

4,000 

1  50 

6,000  00 

Manufactories,                  ... 

70 

90  00 

6,300  00 

Bake  houses, 

267 

12  00 

3,204  00 

Hatters,          ..... 

73 

15  00 

1,095  00 

Sugar  houses,     - 

7 

150  00 

1,050  00 

3Brew  houses. 

12 

300  00 

3,600  00 

Tanners,  curriers,  and  morocco  mami-  ) 
facturers,                                   -    $ 

20 

40  00 

800  00 

Dyers,                           ... 

20 

30  00 

600  00 

Distilleries,                          ... 

63 

100  00 

6,300  00 

Printing  offices,      -                 - 

178 

10  00 

1,780  00 

Steam  engines, 

60 

35  00 

2,100  00 

Slaughter  houses, 

100 

12  00 

1,200  00 

Soap  and  candle  factories, 

58 

60  00 

3,480  00 

Porter  cellars,         ... 

10 

10  00 

100  00 

Marble  and  stone  cutters, 

43 

35  00 

1,505  00 

School  houses, 

68 

15  00 

1,020  00 

Large  hotels,                  ... 

40 

150  00 

6,000  00 

Boarding  houses,         -                  - 

240 

10  00 

2,400  00 

Boarding  schools, 

22 

10  00 

220  00 

Victualling  and  refectories,     - 

100 

25  00 

2,500  00 

Shipping, 

4,534 

8  00 

36,272  00 

CJas  Works, 

2 

1,000  00 

2,000  00 

Chemical  works,    - 

1 

800  00 

800  00 

Total,        -        -                 ... 

$310,516  00 

136  MEMOIROFTHE 

be  restricted  to  the  poor,  or  those  in  moderate  circumstances,  by  a  high  charge  for  its  use ; 
but,  on  the  contrary,  the  quantity  supplied  should  be  abundant,  the  quality  good,  the  cost 
moderate,  and  to  the  poor  gratis. 

In  order  to  effect  the  aforesaid  object,  a  portion  of  the  interest,  at  least,  on  the  capital 
necessary  to  complete  the  project,  and  the  annual  expense  attending  the  delivery  of  the 
water,  should  be  paid  by  a  tax  on  the  real  and  personal  estate  of  the  city,  in  the  same  man- 
ner that  the  watching,  lighting,  and  repairing  the  streets  and  roads,  are  paid ;  or  as  the 
expense  of  the  police,  criminal  courts,  board  of  health  and  public  schools  are  paid.  These 
axe  matters  in  which  the  poor  man  partakes  equally  with  his  rich  neighbor,  all  being  pro- 
per and  necessary  municipal  expenses  for  preserving  the  peace,  health,  comfort  and  morals 
of  the  community ;  and  are  of  no  greater  importance  in  a  public  point  of  view,  than  a 
copious  supply  of  pure  and  wholesome  water,  an  element  admitted  on  all  hands  to  be  as 
necessary  as  any  of  the  municipal  measures  we  have  enumerated. 

We  spend  millions  for  erecting  and  ornamenting  our  public  buildings,  while  a  fourth 
of  the  money  would  raise  structures  equally  convenient,  but  not  equally  ornamental. 
We  open  public  squares  and  enlarge  and  widen  our  streets  at  an  immense  expense,  in 
order  to  increase  the  health,  convenience  and  beauty  of  the  city ;  all  of  which  might  be 
saved,  if  we  were  content  to  live,  as  our  ancestors  did,  in  narrow  streets,  without  parks, 
squares,  or  public  places.  In  thus  adding  to  the  convenience  and  beauty  of  the  city, 
however,  and  increasing  its  salubrity,  we  act  wisely,  because  it  improves  the  health,  ac- 
commodation and  comfort  of  the  inhabitants  ;  but  with  the  most  unaccountable  inconsist- 
ency, we  submit  to  the  use  of  water  which  entails  upon  its  recipients  more  insidious  evils 
than  narrow  streets,  plain  buildings,  or  closed  parks  and  squares,  merely  because  the  cost 
of  procuring  a  pure  and  wholesome  article  may  add  to  our  taxes  a  few  cents  on  each  hun- 
dred dollars  of  property  annually. 

It  was  impossible  to  resist  such  statements ;  and,  accordingly,  we  find  the  Joint  Com- 
mittee of  Fire  and  Water,  to  whom  was  referred  the  communication  of  the  Commissioners, 
with  its  various  accompanying  documents,  reporting  in  a  few  days  (on  the  4th  March)  a 
full  concurrence  in  the  views  of  the  Commissioners,  and  a  recommendation  that  measures 
be  forthwith  adopted  to  take  the  sense  of  the  citizens,  as  required  by  law,  as  to  whether 
the  great  work  should  be  undertaken.  The  report  of  this  Committee,  drawn,  we  believe 
by  Wm.  S.  Johnson,  pays  only  a  merited  compliment  to  the  Commissioners,  when  it  says 
"  if  any  confidence  is  to  be  placed  in  man,  or  any  deference  yielded  to  his  opinion  as  mere 
authority,  these  Commissioners  are  entitled  to  it.  They  consist  of  five  of  our  most  re- 
spectable, intelligent,  and  public  spirited  citizens ;  they  have,  for  two  successive  years,  de- 
voted a  large  portion  of  their  time  gratuitously  to  the  subject  matter  of  the  report,  looking 
for  their  reward  only  to  the  approbation  of  their  fellow  citizens,  the  perfection  of  a  great 
public  good,  and  the  gratitude  of  posterity.  Acting  on  such  principles,  we  may  without 
hesitation  accord  to  them  our  full  confidence,  and  may  adopt  their  conclusions  with 
safety." 

The  following  conclusions  are  derived  from  the  Commissioners'  report : 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT.  137 

1.  That  all  the  water  of  the  Croton  may  be  taken  from  near  its  mouth  and  brought 
to  the  city  of  New  York  in  an  aqueduct,  declining  15  inches  in  a  mile,  and  delivered  in  a 
reservoir  on  Murray's  Hill,  114  feet  above  high  water  line,  which  is  near  7  feet  10  inches 
higher  than  the  roof  of  the  highest  building  in  the  city. 

2.  That  in  the  driest  seasons,  and  at  the  lowest  or  minimum  flow  of  water,  the  Croton 
will  supply  thirty  million  gallons  daily,  and  ordinarily  more  than  fifty  million  gallons. 

3.  That  the  water  of  the  Croton  is  limpid  and  pure,  and  fit  for  use  at  the  place  where 
they  propose  to  take  it  from  the  river. 

4.  That  the  whole  river  can  be  brought  to  Murray's  Hill  in  a  close  aqueduct  of  ma- 
sonry, at  an  expense  of  $4,250,000,  and  there  deposited  in  reservoirs  ready  for  distribu- 
tion.    And, 

5.  That  the  revenue  which  would  accrue  to  the  city,  from  very  low  charges,  for  sup- 
plying the  water,  would  overpay  the  interest  on  the  cost  of  the  work. 

"  These,"  say  the  Joint  Committee  of  the  Corporation,  "are  the  great  facts  upon  which 
the  Common  Council  are  now  called  upon  to  act,  and  in  the  first  place  to  pronounce  the 
judgment,  whether  the  work  shall  or  shall  not  proceed.  The  Commissioners  have  most 
fully  discharged  their  duty,  and  with  great  ability.  It  remains  for  the  Common  Council 
to  do  theirs.  The  Commissioners  have  examined  and  canvassed  every  plan,  and  even 
every  proposition,  which  has  been  suggested  for  supplying  the  city  with  pure  and  whole- 
some water ;  and  after  the  most  mature  consideration,  recommend  that  the  Croton  be 
brought  to  the  city  in  a  covered  aqueduct  of  masonry,  and  that  the  water  be  taken  from  the 
river  at  Halman's  or  Garritson's  mill,  near  its  mouth.  THIS  COMMITTEE  CONCUR  IN  THE 

RECOMMENDATION." 

After  presenting  at  length  and  with  ability,  the  motive  of  public  health  and  public 
safety,  which  should  influence  the  community  to  undertake  the  work,  the  report  concludes 
with  the  following  resolutions  : 

Resolved,  That  the  plan  adopted  by  the  Water  Commissioners  for  the  city  of  New 
York,  for  supplying  the  city  of  New  York  with  a  sufficient  quantity  of  pure  and  whole- 
some water  for  the  use  of  its  inhabitants,  and  described  in  the  their  report,  made  to  the 
Board  of  Aldermen,  the  16th  day  of  February  last,  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby  approved. 

Resolved,  That  a  poll  be,  and  hereby  is  appointed  to  be  opened  on  the  days  upon 
which  the  next  annual  election  for  charter  officers  for  this  city,  is  by  law  appointed  to  be 
held,  to  the  end  that  the  electors  may  express  their  assent  or  refusal  to  allow  the  Common 
Council  to  proceed  in  raising  the  money  necessary  to  construct  the  work  as  aforesaid,  by 
depositing  their  ballots  in  a  box  to  be  provided  for  that  purpose,  in  their  respective  wards, 
according  to  the  provision  of  the  act,  "  To  provide  for  supplying  the  city  of  New  York 
with  pure  and  wholesome  water." 
35 


MEMOIR    OF    THE 

These  resolutions  were  immediately  adopted  by  the  Board,  2nd  March,  on  the  llth 
approved  by  the  Mayor— and  in  conformity  with  the  second,  a  poll  was  ordered  to  be 
held  on  the  14th,  15th,  and  16th,  of  the  ensuing  month  of  April. 

No  provision  having  been  made,  however,  for  printing  the  tickets,  by  which  the 
voters  were  to  signify  their  pleasure — this  at  political  elections  being  always  done  by  the 
respective  political  parties — and  party  having  nothing  to  do  with  this  great  question — 
there  was  danger  that  the  actual  sense  of  the  people  might  not  at  the  polls  find  the  means 
of  expression. 

The  moment  this  was  hinted,  several  hundred  dollars  were  contributed  by  some 
eight  or  ten  individuals,  mostly  of  large  landed  estates,  to  ensure  a  full  and  regular  supply 
of  tickets  at  each  poll,  favorable  to  an  affirmative  vote ;  thus  exhibiting  another  fijie 
incident  in  the  progress  of  this  great  work,  that  they  whose  property  would,  in  all 
probability,  be  most  largely  taxed  to  defray  its  cost,  were  most  solicitous  to  ensure  its 
accomplishment. 

This  precaution  was  crowned  with  complete  success,  as  the  following  returns,  taken 
from  the  County  Clerk's  office,  will  show. 

I,  Nathaniel  Jarvis,  Clerk  of  the  City  and  County  of  New  York,  do  hereby  certify, 
that  the  votes  given  at  a  General  Election  held  on  the  14th,  15th,  and  16th  days  of  April, 
1835,  in  the  respective  wards  of  said  City,  in  pursuance  of  "  An  act  to  provide  for  supply- 
ing the  City  of  New  York  with  pure  and  wholesome  water,"  passed  2d  May,  1834,  the 
inspectors'  returns  of  which,  are  on  file  in  my  office,  were  as  follows,  viz  : 

Wards.  Yes.  No. 

1  1417  27 

2  1248  25 

3  1456  42 

4  1794  51 

5  1675  152 

6  1305  103 

7  1303  561 

8  1511  703 

9  631          1015 

10  966  1030 

11  880  873 

12  545  136 

13  654  739 

14  1233          209 

15  712          297 


17,330  5,963 

From  which  it  appears  that  "  Yes"  received  17,330  votes,  and  "  No"  5963  votes.    In 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT.  139 

pursuance  of  said  Act,  the  Board  of  Canvassers  of  the  votes  taken  at  said  Election, 
adjudged  and  determined  that  a  majority  of  the  Electors  of  the  City  and  County  of  New 
York,  were  found  to  be  in  favor  of  the  measure. 

In  witness  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  subscribed 
my  name,  and  affixed  my  Seal  of  Office, 
[L.S.]  this  28th  day  of  March,  1843r^' 

NATHANIEL  JARVIS,  Clerk. 

To  complete  this  view,  and  to  show  that  the  wards  which  contributed  the  largest 
amount  of  taxes,  gave  also  the  largest  vote  in  favor  of  the  Croton  project,  a  list  is  an- 
nexed, from  the  books  of  the  City  Comptroller,  of  the  taxes  paid  by  each  ward  for  the  year 
1835: 

Taxes  for  1835. 

1st  Ward $246,181  14 

2d  «       73,187  38 

3d  « 86,828  36 

4th  "       50,278  29 

5th  « 59,177  02 

6th  «       49,315  30 

7th  " 57,031  06 

8th  «        51,529  09 

9th  " 33,698  53 

10th  «        26,834  79 

llth  « 45,060  17 

12th  «       -    -    -    - 60,032  55 

13th  « 15,847  69 

14th  «       37,150  06 

15th  « 73,451  51 


$965,602  94 

In  three  wards,  the  9th,  10th,  and  13th,  the  negative  vote  preponderated.  In  all  the 
others,  the  affirmative  by  large  majorities. 

Then  as  to  proportion  between  taxation  and  the  affirmative  vote,  the  first  ward 
paying  $246,181,  records  but  27  negative,  against  1417  affirmative  votes,  whilst  the  10th 
ward,  paying  little  more  than  one-tenth  of  the  taxes  of  the  first,  records  1030  negative, 
against  936  affirmative  votes. 

The  popular  voice  having  thus  pronounced,  by  an  overwhelming  majority,  in  favor  of 
the  Croton  Aqueduct,  the  Corporation  lost  no  time  in  passing  an  ordinance,  dated  7th  of 
May,  instructing  the  Commissioners  at  once  to  proceed  in  the  work,  according  to  the  plan 
adopted  by  them,  and  authorizing  a  loan  for  two  millions  and  a  half  of  dollars,  at  5  per 
cent  interest,  to  provide  for  the  expenses  thereof  We  subjoin  the  last  section,  as  indica- 


140  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

ting  the  understanding  and  intention  of  the  Common  Council  at  that  time,  both  that  a 
revenue  should  be  derived  from  the  water  furnished  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  city,  and 
that  such  revenue,  whatever  it  might  be,  should  go  to  the  Sinking  Fund  for  the  redemp- 
tion of  the  debt. 

§  9.  The  provisions  of  the  ordinance,  entitled,  "  A  Law  providing  for  the  redemption 
of  the  City  Stock,"  so  far  as  the  same  can  be  applied  to  the  "  Water  Stock  of  the  city  of 
of  New  York,"  shall  be  applicable  to  the  same  :  and  all  revenue  to  be  received  for  water, 
to  be  procured  by  the  said  work  and  furnished  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  of  New  York, 
shall  be  specially  appropriated  as  a  Sinking  Fund  towards  the  redemption  of  the  said 
Water  Stock. 

Another  ordinance  was  passed  on  the  15th  of  May,  fixing  the  salary  of  the  Chair- 
man of  the  Water  Commissioners  at  $1500  per  annum,  and  that  of  each  of  the  others,  at 
$1000,  to  be  paid  as  part  of  the  contingent  expenses  of  said  work. 

The  Commissioners  went  to  work  zealously ;  on  the  2d  of  June,  they  appointed 
D.  B.  Douglas,  Esq.,  their  chief  engineer,  and  directed  him  to  organise  a  corps  of  en- 
gineers as  soon  as  practicable.  The  party,  consisting  of  seventeen,  took  the  field  on  the 
6th  of  July,  1835.  Their  first  care  was  to  stake  out  the  land  that  was  to  constitute  the 
lake,  formed  by  damming  the  Croton,  the  line  to  include  one  rod  of  land  above  that 
which  would  be  overflowed  by  the  backing  of  the  water.  The  next  step  was  to  stake 
out  the  whole  line,  from  the  Croton  to  the  Harlem,  in  order  to  show  its  direction,  and  the 
width  of  land  required  for  building  the  aqueduct  and  culverts,  and  forming  the  necessary 
excavations  and  embankments. 

The  urgency  of  these  preliminary  operations  arose  from  the  fact,  that  by  the  law 
the  Commissioners  were  restricted  from  using  any  land,  until  it  was  acquired  by  purchase 
or  appraisement.  Hence,  therefore,  they  were  compelled  to  ascertain  the  quantity  and 
situation  of  the  land  needed,  before  they  could  enter  into  any  negotiation  for  the  pur- 
chases. 

The  quantity  requisite  for  the  lake  that  would  be  formed  by  damming  the  river,  was 
reported  by  Mr.  Cartwright,  who  was  specially  employed  to  survey  it,  at  496  acres,  of 
which  some  was  obtained  by  purchase,  the  residue  through  the  intervention  of  appraisers. 

The  engineers  kept  the  field  till  January,  1836,  and  returned  to  it  in  April.  The 
whole  line  was  re-surveyed  during  the  summer,  being  the  fourth  survey  and  level,  under 
the  direction  of  Mr.  Douglas.  Some  important  improvements  in  the  course  of  the  aqueduct 
resulted  from  this  re- survey ;  distances  were  shortened,  and  curves  lessened,  and  by  the 
middle  of  June,  maps  were  prepared  of  the  whole  line,  setting  forth  how  much  land 
would  be  needed,  and  to  whom  belonging. 


CROTON    AdUEDUCT.  141 

Great  opposition  began  now  to  be  manifested  by  the  land  owners  in  West  Chester, 
along  the  route  proposed  for  the  Aqueduct,  at  the  prospect  of  being  dispossessed  of  their 
lands,  although  to  be  paid  for  them  liberally.  Cupidity  in  some,  real  unwillingness  in 
others  to  have  their  farms  broken  up,  and  dread,  probably,  on  the  part  of  the  great  majo- 
rity, of  tumult,  disorder,  and  numberless  petty  annoyances,  from  the  throng  of  laborers, 
who,  it  was  perceived,  would  find  employment  on  the  work,  led  to  public  meetings,  un- 
friendly resolutions,  and  memorials  to  the  Legislature.  The  chief  propositions  of  the  ap- 
plicants to  the  Legislature  were — 

1st.  That  the  legal  possession  and  use  of  the  land  should  remain  with  the  original 
owners,  after  being  paid  for  by  the  Corporation  ! 

2d.  That  if  not  used  for  the  purposes  of  the  Aqueduct,  the  land  should  revert  to  its 
original  owners. 

3d.  That  provision  should  be  made  to  prevent  trespasses  on  the  property  of  the  in- 
habitants. 

4th.  That  the  persons,  through  whose  lands  the  Aqueduct  should  pass,  should  have 
the  right  to  use  the  water,  by  allowing  reasonable  compensation  for  it. 

5th.  That  the  Judges  of  the  County  Courts  should  act  as  Appraisers,  instead  of 
Commissioners  appointed  by  the  Vice  Chancellor. 

The  Legislature  very  properly  refused  to  accede  to  propositions  such  as  these,  but  in 
order  to  quiet  apprehensions,  that  land  taken  for  the  Aqueduct  might  be  used  for  other 
purposes,  and  to  insure  to  the  owners,  through  whose  possessions  the  water  passed,  free 
and  convenient  access  to  all  portions  of  their  farms,  as  well  as  for  other  purposes,  they 
passed  the  annexed  law. 

AN    ACT 

To     AMEND     AN    ACT    ENTITLED    "  AN     ACT     TO     PROVIDE    FOR    SUPPLYING    THE    ClTY 

OF  NEW  YORK  WITH  PURE  AND  WHOLESOME  WATER,"  PASSED  MAY  2,  1834. 

(Passed  May  25,  1836.) 

The  People  of  the  State  of  New  York,  represented  in  Senate  and  Assembly,  do  enact 
as  follows  : 

§  1.  The  lands  situated  in  the  county  of  Westchester,  which  may  be  taken  by  the 
Corporation  of  the  city  and  county  of  New  York,  by  virtue  of  the  act  hereby  amended, 
shall  be  held  and  appropriated  by  the  said  Corporation  only  for  the  use  and  purpose  of 
introducing  water  into  the  city  of  New  York  and  for  purposes  necessarily  incident  thereto, 
and  for  no  other  uses  or  purposes  whatever,  any  thing  in  the  act  hereby  amended  to  the 
contrary  thereo  i  notwithstanding. 

36 


MEMOIR    OF    THE 

§  2.  In  case  said  Corporation  of  the  city  of  New  York  should  use  any  of  said  lands 
situate  in  the  county  of  Westchester,  for  purposes  other  than  in  the  last  preceding  section 
permitted ;  or  in  case  said  lands  should  not  be  required  for  the  purpose  of  introducing  water 
into  the  city  of  New  York,  such  lands  so  improperly  used  or  not  so  required,  shall  become 
revested  in  the  individual  from  whom  the  said  Corporation  obtained  it,  as  fully  and  per- 
fectly as  though  the  act  hereby  amended  had  never  been  enacted,  upon  repaying  to  said 
Corporation  the  amount  originally  paid  for  the  same,  after  deducting  from  such  amount  the 
damage  sustained  by  such  individual,  by  reason  of  any  alteration  or  work  which  the  said 
Corporation  may  have  made  upon  said  land. 

§  3.  The  Corporation  of  the  city  of  New  York  shall,  at  the  expense  of  the  said  Corpo- 
ration, erect  and  sustain  all  fences  which  may  be  required  to  protect  said  works  from  injury. 

§  4.  The  Corporation  of  the  city  of  New  York  shall,  at  the  expense  of  the  said  Corpo- 
ration, erect  and  sustain  convenient  passes  across  or  under  the  aqueduct  to  be  erected  by 
virtue  of  the  act  hereby  amended,  whenever  said  aqueduct  shall  intersect  the  land  in  the 
said  county  of  Westchester,  belonging  to  an  individual  or  individuals,  for  the  farming  and 
other  purposes  of  the  land  thus  intersected. 

§  5.  So  much  and  such  parts  of  the  act  hereby  amended,  as  is  inconsistent  with  this 
act,  is  hereby  repealed. 

This  concession  did  not  satisfy  the  complainants  along  the  line,  and  at  a  public 
meeting  held  at  Tarrytown,  it  was  resolved,  among  other  things,  that  the  taking  of  the 
lands  of  individuals  as  authorised  by  the  state  law,  was  unconstitutional  and  ought  to  be 
resisted,  and  that  the  case  should  be  carried  up  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  U.  S. 

Yet,  according  to  all  sound  reasoning — independently  of  the  near  interest  which  West- 
Chester  County  has  in  all  that  tends  to  add  to  the  security,  preserve  the  health,  and  en- 
hance the  advantages  of  the  city  of  New  York — the  enormous  expenditures  for  wages, 
provisions,  and  other  necessaries,  for  the  great  number  of  men  that  would  be  employed  on 
the  aqueduct,  should  have  been  deemed  by  the  neighboring  residents  much  more  than  an 
equivalent  for  any  temporary  inconveniences,  or  imaginary  loss. 

The  consequence  of  this  discontent  was,  that  the  Commissioners  were  unable  to 
make  any  purchase,  by  private  contract,  of  lands  along  the  line,  and  were  therefore  com- 
pelled to  resort  to  the  Vice  Chancellor  for  the  appointment  of  Commissioners,  to  take  by 
appraisement  whatever  was  needed. 

In  July  of  this  year,  the  Corporation  began  their  part  of  the  work  by  ordering  pipes, 
agreeably  to  the  size  adopted  by  the  Commissioners,  to  be  laid  down  in  Barclay-street, 
from  the  intersection  of  Chapel  to  Greenwich-street,  along  Greenwich  to  Cedar,  and  up 
Cedar  to  Broadway. 

The  Legislature  also  passed  a  law  authorizing  the  construction  of  the  aqueduct 
through  lands  belonging  to  the  State,  at  Sing  Sing. 

In  their  Report  of  9th  January,  1837,  the  Commissioners  reiterate  the  account  of 


CROTONAdUEDUCT.  143 

their  difficulties  in  conciliating  the  inhabitants  of  Westchester,  along  the  line,  to  the  great 
work  in  hand,  complain  of  the  delays  incident  to  the  process  of  appraisement,  and 
finally  of  what  they  considered  "  lack  of  energy  in  the  operations  of  their  engineer  de- 
partment." "  We  took  occasion,"  says  the  Report,  "  to  state  in  our  communication  of  the 
1st  of  August,  that  on  the  23d  July,  certain  information  was  requested  of  the  chief  en- 
gineer, which  he  had  promised  to  furnish  as  soon  as  possible,  and  that  on  the  production 
of  it,  we  were  still  in  hopes  of  being  enabled  to  place  some  part  of  the  work  under  con- 
tract, before  the  close  of  the  year.  These  hopes,  however,  have  not  been  realized,  and  the 
Commissioners  having  felt  much  dissatisfaction  at  this  disappointment,  and  for  other 
causes,  they  finally  determined  to  make  a  change  in  the  office  of  chief  engineer."  Ac- 
cordingly, on  the  llth  of  October,  1836,  Mr.  J.  B.  Jervis,  who  had  been  engaged  in  most 
of  the  public  works  constructed  by  this  State,  was  appointed  chief  engineer,  at  an  annual 
salary  of  $5000. 

We  cannot  but  pause  in  our  narrative  for  a  moment,  to  express  regret  that  a  great  en- 
terprise like  this,  of  which  the  plans  and  details  were  digested  by  Major  Douglas,  which 
even  in  its  consummation,  must  still  be  deemed  mainly  to  be  his  work,  should,  owing  to 
any  misunderstanding  or  incompatibility  of  temper  between  him  and  the".  Chairman  of 
the  Board  of  Commissioners,  have  been  committed  to  other  hands. 

It  is  only  just  to  add,  however,  that  those  other  hands  have  proved  themselves 
abundantly  competent,  and  that  Mr.  Jervis  has  shown  equal  activity  and  skill  in  perfect- 
ing the  great  undertaking.  He  entered  immediately  upon  his  duty,  traversed  and  inspect- 
ed the  whole  line  of  the  Aqueduct  between  the  two  rivers,  and  so  far  as  he  was  able  to 
judge  without  instrumental  verification,  approved  of  it.  Garretson's  Mills,  he  considered 
under  the  circumstances,  the  best  position  for  the  dam. 

By  direction  of  the  Commissioners,  who  were  anxious  to  place  some  of  the  work 
under  contract  for  the  opening  of  the  working  season,  shafts  were  sunk  at  the  site  of  the 
dam,  and  along  the  line  of  the  Aqueduct  as  far  as  Sing  Sing,  eight  miles,  in  order  to  exhibit 
the  nature  of  the  ground  to  be  excavated,  for  the  information  of  all  parties  ;  this,  as  well  as 
examinations  on  the  same  line  for  stone  fit  to  be  quarried  and  used  in  the  construction, 
was  successfully  accomplished. 

The  number  of  acres  required  for  a  Croton  Reservoir  and  Aqueduct  from  river  to 
river  is  stated  by  the  Commissioners  at  813. 

Just  previously  to  this  period,  some  dissatisfaction  had  been  expressed  in  the  Board  of 
Assistant  Aldermen,  at  what  seemed  to  be  the  irresponsibility  of  the  Commissioners  to 
the  Common  Council. 

This  topic  is  thus  adverted  to  at  the  close  of  this  Report : 


144  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

"It  has  appeared  by  the  proceedings  of  one  of  your  honorable  Boards,  as  published  in 
the  newspapers  some  time  since,  that,  censure  has  been  cast  upon  the  Commissioners  for 
some  unknown  cause,  and  that,  in  debate,  it  had  been  stated  they  were  under  no  account- 
ability, either  to  the  public,  or  the  Common  Council,  and  that  a  resolution  had  been  pro- 
posed, to  apply  to  the  Legislature  for  an  act  compelling  them  to  make  quarterly  reports  to 
the  Common  Council.  There  seems  to  be  some  mistake  in  this  matter,  as  the  fact  is,  the 
Commissioners  consider  themselves  both  accountable  to  the  public  and  the  Common 
Council.  To  the  public,  they  are  accountable  for  an  honest  and  upright  discharge  of 
their  duty,  and  to  the  Common  Council,  they  are  accountable  for  a  vigilant  superintend- 
ence over  those  employed  under  them,  and  for  the  strictest  economy  in  the  expenditure 
of  the  funds  placed  in  their  hands.  In  order  that  your  honorable  body  might  see  that  their 
funds  were  properly  disbursed,  the  Commissioners  have  uniformly,  as  has  been  before  ob- 
served, reported  to  the  Comptroller  a  detailed  account  of  their  receipts  and  expenditures 
at  the  end  of  every  six  months  since  the  commencement  of  their  operations.  The  Com- 
missioners, have,  in  addition,  always  left  their  books  open  to  the  inspection  of  any  member 
of  the  Common  Council  who  might  choose  to  examine  them,  and  they  have  uniformly 
expressed  to  the  Comptroller,  a  readiness  to  appear  before  the  finance  Committee,  or  any 
other  Committee  of  your  honorable  body,  and  produce  their  vouchers  for  the  expenditure 
incurred." 

The  Commissioners,  in  conclusion,  after  stating  that  they  are  not  conscious  of  ever 
having  withheld  information  sought  by  any  member  of  the  Common  Council,  arid  ex- 
pressing their  surprise  that  any  doubt  should  exist  of  their  willingness  to  report  quar- 
terly, if  desired,  to  the  Common  Council,  instead  of  semi-annually,  to  the  Comptroller, 
express  the  hope  that  no  misunderstanding  between  the  co-operating  parties  may  mar  the 
object  all  have  in  view. 

The  result  of  this  little  discussion  was,  that  in  a  bill  asked  for  by  the  Common 
Council  and  passed  by  the  Legislature,  for  the  purpose  of  authorising  the  water  Commis- 
sioners to  take  possession  upon  agreement  or  due  appraisement,  of  lands  or  roads  over- 
flowed by  the  construction  of  the  dam,  and  to  make  new  roads  and  bridges  in  lieu  of 
those  rendered  useless,  the  following  clause  is  inserted : 

§  11.  The  said  Water  Commissioners  shall,  semi-annually,  or  at  any  time,  if  required 
by  the  Common  Council,  report  to  the  Corporation  of  the  city  of  New  York,  a  general  ex- 
hibition of  the  state  of  the  work,  including  a  full  detail  of  the  amount  expended,  and  of 
the  progress  made  by  them  in  the  furtherance  of  the  contemplated  object. 

In  their  next  semi-annual  Report  of  July,  1837,  the  Commissioners  courteously  refer 
to  this  section  and  say,  "  in  complying  with  this  provision  of  the  act  of  May,  1837,  which 
we  do  with  great  cheerfulness,  we  shall  only  be  carrying  out  an  arrangement  previously 
decided  on,  as  a  matter  of  propriety  and  duty." 

It  was  in  the  spring  of  this  year,  1837,  that  the  work  fairly  began  ;  the  maps,  draw- 
ings, and  working  plans  having  been  completed  during  the  winter,  advertisements  were, 


CROTON    AdUEDUCT.  145 

on  28th  February,  published  in  the  newspapers  of  New  York,  Albany,  Utica,  Hartford,  Ct., 
and  Philadelphia,  inviting  proposals  until  26th  April,  "for  furnishing  the  materials  and 
completing  the  construction  of  twenty-three  sections  of  the  Croton  Aqueduct,  including 
the  dam  in  the  Croton,  the  aqueduct  bridge  over  Sing  Sing  Kill,  and  the  necessary  exca- 
vations and  tunnelling  on  the  line  of  about  S£  miles  from  the  Croton  to  Sing  Sing  village." 

On  the  day  appointed,  abundant  offers  were  opened  for  all  the  sections,  but  owing  to 
the  condition  of  monetary  affairs,  only  13  sections  were  let,  and  those  at  prices  considera- 
bly above  the  original  estimate  for  the  cost  of  the  work. 

Three  years  were  allowed  for  the  fulfilment  of  these  contracts,  which  were  to  be 
always  under  the  special  and  constant  inspection  of  the  resident  engineer  and  his  aids,  the 
particular  examination  of  the  chief  engineer,  and  the  general  supervision  of  the  Commis- 
sioners. 

The  following  judicious,  and  indeed  essential  condition,  was  inserted  in  all  the  con- 
tracts— "  that  the  contractors  will  not  themselves,  nor  by  their  agents,  give  or  sell  any  ar- 
dent spirits  to  their  workmen,  or  any  person  at  or  near  the  line  of  the  aqueduct,  or  allow 
any  to  be  brought  on  the  works  by  laborers,  or  any  other  person,  and  will  do  all  in  their 
power  to  discountenance  its  use  in  the  vicinity  of  the  work  by  persons  in  their  employ  ; 
and  that  they  will  not  allow  any  person  in  their  employ  to  commit  trespass  on  the  premises 
of  persons  in  the  vicinity  of  the  work,  and  will  forthwith,  at  the  request  of  the  Commis- 
sioners or  engineer,  discharge  from  their  employ  any  that  may  be  guilty  of  committing; 
damage  in  this  respect,'' 

Previous  to  commencing  operations,  the  whole  line  was  divided  into  four  districts, 
and  a  competent  resident  engineer,  with  the  requisite  number  of  assistants,  was  assigned 
to  each. 

On  the  first,  extending  from  the  Croton  ten  miles  southerly,  Edmund  French  was 
appointed  resident ;  on  the  second,  including  the  next  10J;  miles,  Henry  T.  Anthony  ;  and 
the  third,  10  miles  more,  to  Fordham  church,  and  the  fourth,  from  Fordham  church  to  the 
distributing  reservoir  in  the  city,  10^  miles,  were  for  the  present  considered  as  one  division, 
and  put  in  charge  of  Peter  Hastie. 

We  are  thus  particular  in  giving  the  names  and  stations  of  the  engineers,  because  in 
so  grand  a  work,  and  which,  so  far  as  yet  tested,  has  proved  so  thoroughly  well  con- 
structed, it  is  just  that  they  who,  though  in  comparatively  subordinate  stations,  con- 
tributed largely  to  its  excellence  and  sufficiency,  should  be  commemorated. 

The  Commissioners  present  this  brief  but  clear  sketch  of  the  respective  divisions  of 
the  aqueduct  line,  and  of  the  great  natural  difficulties  to  be  overcome  ; 
37 


146  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

The  country  through  which  our  line  of  aqueduct  lias  to  pass,  affords,  perhaps,  as 
few  facilities  for  the  avoidance  of  labor  and  expense  as  any  other  portion  of  the  State ; 
we  are  met  at  every  step  with  deep  ravines,  which  must  be  passed,  either  by  embankment 
or  bridge,  or  elevated  hills  which  must  be  pierced  by  a  tunnel  of  more  or  less  extent. 
The  most  prominent  objects  of  labor  and  cost  on  the  first  division  arer  first,  the  dam 
across  the  Croton  River.  This  dam  will  be  fifty  feet  high,  from  the  bed  of  the  river,  and 
about  forty  feet  from  low  water  level ;  the  top,  or  lip  of  the  dam,  about  one  hundred 
feet  across  ;  breadth  at  the  bottom  about  seventy  feet,  and  on  the  top  or  lip,  seven  feet, 
averaging  about  forty  feet  in  thickness.  The  down  stream  course  will  slope  one  and  a 
quarter  to  one,  and  the  up  stream  will  be  carried  plumb.  The  abutments  twelve  feet 
thick ;  the  top  and  down  stream  slope  to  be  covered  with  heavy  coping,  well  clamped  to- 
gether with  iron  anchors  and  straps,  &c.  In  fact,  the  whole  structure  is  to  be  a  mass  of 
substantial  stone  masonry,  combined  together  with  hydraulic  cement ;  and,  when  com- 
pleted, will  be  one  of  the  most  stupendous  erections  of  the  kind  to  be  found  in  any  part 
of  this  or  any  other  country. 

The  next  important  work  in  order,  is  the  Aqueduct  Bridge,  across  the  valley  of  Sing 
Sing  Kill.  This  requires  an  arch  of  eighty  feet  span  and  twenty-five  feet  rise,  resting  on 
abutments  of  stone  masonry,  and  is  intended  to  be  a  work  of  great  strength  and  solidity. 
In  addition  to  these,  there  are  several  large  culverts  to  be  built,  for  crossing  the  streams 
and  brooks  running  through  this  section  of  the  works ;  some  pretty  lofty  embankments 
to  be  made,  and  four  tunnels,  of  from  300  to  800  feet  in  length,  through  hills  of  more  or 
less  altitude. 

The  most  prominent  work  on  the  second  division,  is  the  crossing  Mill  River,  which 
must  be  effected,  either  by  an  aqueduct  bridge,  of  heavy  stone  masonry,  or  by  a  large 
culvert  and  embankment,  the  latter  of  which  the  Commissioners  have  preferred.  There 
are  also  two  tunnels  in  this  division,  of  considerable  length,  with  a  number  of  small  cul- 
verts for  crossing  the  several  ravines  and  brooks  on  the  line  of  the  aqueduct. 

In  the  third  division,  the  crossing  of  Saw  Mill  River  and  Tibbit's  Brook  occurs,  a 
pretty  formidable  part  of  the  work.  There  are  two  tunnels  ;  one  at  Yonkers,  for  entering 
the  valley  of  Saw  Mill  River,  and  the  other  for  entering  the  valley  of  Tibbit's  Brook. 

The  fourth  division  embraces  some  highly  important  works.  The  most  imposing  is 
the  crossing  of  Harlem  River,  either  by  an  aqueduct  bridge,  or  by  inverted  syphons ; 
next,  carrying  the  aqueduct  over  Manhattan  Valley  ;  and  last,  though  not  least,  the  erec- 
tion of  the  receiving  and  distributing  reservoirs  in  this  city. 

Here  we  have  a  formidable  array  of  work,  to  exercise  the  talents  of  our  chief  engi- 
neer, in  planning,  and  the  ingenuity  of  our  mechanics  and  laborers  in  executing ;  and  if 
to  this  be  added  the  great  length  of  the  aqueduct  to  be  built,  and  the  large  amount  of  ex- 
cavation to  be  effected,  in  many  places  from  fifteen  to  thirty  feet  in  depth,  and  that  through 
a  soil  abounding  with  rock,  stone,  and  cemented  earths,  it  cannot  be  wondered  at  if  the 
estimates  of  the  engineers,  originally  employed  to  make  the  necessary  examinations  shall 
fall  far  short,  as  the  Commissioners  have  now  good  reason  to  think  they  will,  of  the  sum 
necessary  to  bring  the  project  to  a  successful  termination.  The  Commissioners  wish  it  to 
be  understood,  therefore,  by  your  honorable  body,  as  their  settled  opinion,  based  upon  the 
result  of  the  bids  for  that  portion  of  the  work  offered  for  contract,  and  the  very  high  price 
they  have  been  compelled  to  pay  for  land  and  other  privileges  required  for  the  works,  that 
the  total  cost  of  the  project  will  far  exceed  the  estimates  reported  to  the  Common  Conn- 


CROTON    AQUEDUCT.  147 

cil,  founded  upon  the  data  adopted  by  the  engineers,  in  their  reports  dated  the  1st  of  No- 
vember, 1833,  the  25th  of  January,  1835,  and  the  first  of  February,  1835. 

The  intimation  here  given  that  the  first  estimates  by  Major  Douglas,  Mr.  Martineau, 
and  other  engineers,  who  had  examined  the  route,  would  be  greatly  exceeded,  is  followed 
up  by  a  request  that  the  Common  Council  would,  at  an  early  day,  adopt  measures  to  raise 
more  money,  taking  it  for  granted,  that  as  the  people  of  the  city  had  deliberately  decided 
through  the  medium  of  the  ballot  boxes,  and  by  a  large  majority,  that  the  necessary  funds 
should  be  raised  for  prosecuting  the  work,  there  could  be  no  doubt  that  it  was  to  be  pro- 
ceeded with. 

They  also,  in  this  Report,  advert  to  the  expenditure  that  would  be  occasioned  by  fur- 
nishing and  laying  pipes  in  the  streets,  of  which,  estimating  that  152  miles  in  length,  in. 
addition  to  the  15  then  laid,  would  be  required,  they  calculate  the  expense  at  $1,261,627. 
The  cost  of  this  branch  of  the  work,  it  is  very  properly  suggested,  should  be  included  in 
the  farther  amount  for  completing  the  aqueduct,  which  it  was  proposed  to  ask  permission 
from  the  Legislature  to  raise. 

In  view  of  the  length  of  time  which  the  construction  of  the  aqueduct  would  occupy, 
of  the  vast  sums  that  would  be  expended,  and  of  various  and  perplexing  questions  that 
could  not  fail  to  arise  in  the  progress  of  the  undertaking,  in  the  shape  of  claims  from  per- 
sons supposing  themselves  aggrieved,  by  contractors  for  extra  allowances,  &c.,  &c,  the 
Commissioners  suggest,  for  the  consideration  of  the  Common  Council,  the  adoption  of  a 
plan  similar  to  that  adopted  by  the  State  in  respect  to  the  construction  of,  and  expendi- 
tures on,  the  canals,  viz. :  constituting  two  Boards,  one,  Commissioners  of  the  Water 
Fund,  to  be  composed  of  the  Mayor,  the  Comptroller,  the  Counsel  of  the  Board,  the 
Street  Commissioner,  and  the  City  Chamberlain,  who  shall  have  charge  of  all  financial 
arrangements  in  raising  and  borrowing  the  necessary  money,  securely  investing  it  until 
wanted,  &c. ;  the  other,  the  Water  Works  Board,  to  consist  of  the  Water  Commission- 
ers and  the  Commissioners  of  the  Water  Fund,  whose  business  it  should  be  to  adjust  and 
settle  all  such  claims  and  complaints  as  are  above  alluded  to. 

On  January  4th,  the  Commissioners  made  their  next  semi-annual  Report,  which, 
with  its  accompanying  documents,  is  of  great  interest  and  importance.  In  the  course  of 
the  autumn,  contracts  were  made  for  the  ten  sections  of  the  first  division  which  were 
before  unlet,  and  for  27  sections  of  the  second  division,  making  an  aggregate  of  53  sec- 
tions, which,  with  the  dam,  were  to  cost  $2,823,691. 

A  change,  too,  was  made,  on  the  recommendation  of  the  chief  engineer,  in  the  posi- 
tion of  the  dam  in  the  Croton ;  a  place  about  400  feet  down  the  stream  being  supposed 
more  suitable  for  the  purpose.  This  change  led  to  another  in  the  structure,  lessening 


MEMOIR     OF    THE 

materially  the  mason  work  of  the  dam.  The  contractors  availed  themselves  of  the  alte- 
ration to  abandon  their  contract,  and,  accordingly,  this  portion  of  the  work  was  re-let  for 
$85,386,  a  saving  over  the  first  contract  of  $32,169. 

The  difficulties  interposed  to  the  progress  of  the  work  by  the  opposition  of  the  land- 
holders on  the  route,  and  the  alarming  stories  spread  of  the  lawless  disposition  and  prac- 
tices of  the  laborers  on  the  line,  form  a  prominent  subject  of  detail  in  this  report,  which 
insists,  however,  and  successfully,  as  it  seems  to  us,  that  neither  drunkenness,  nor  robber- 
ies, nor  abuse  nor  insult  of  casual  visitors,  could  be  traced  to  these  laborers. 

Great  delays,  however,  were  occasioned  by  the  slow  process  of  appraising  the  lands, 
and  the  slower  progress  in  confirming  the  awards  by  the  Chancery  Court ;  and  hence',  it 
frequently  happened,  that  when  contractors  had  erected  shanties  and  other  buildings,  and 
brought  their  teams  and  materials  on  the  line,  they  were  unable  to  go  to  work,  because 
the  lands  were  not  as  yet  in  the  legal  possession  of  the  Commissioners.  Nor  could  this 
have  been  foreseen  by  these  officers,  for  every  measure  on  their  part  had  been  taken  to 
ensure  prompt  settlement  of  the  appraisements. 

As  keeping  up  the  record  of  the  progress  of  the  work,  we  subjoin  the  statement  of 
this  year's  work : 

The  following  statement  comprises  the  principal  portions  of  the  work  which  have 
been  performed  during  the  last  season,  say  from  the  first  day  of  June  to  the  first  day  of 
December  last. 

Two  thousand  four  hundred  and  fifty-five  feet  of  the  aqueduct  is  now  complete. 

There  have  been  erected  also  about  400  feet  of  inside  wall  of  the  aqueduct,  ready  for 
springing  the  arch. 

The  amount  of  open  cutting  and  excavation  in  earth,  is  146,760  cubic  yards,  and  the 
same  description  of  work  in  rock  is  18,272  cubic  yards. 

The  tunnellers  had  penetrated  the  rock  four  hundred  and  six  feet  on  the  first  of  De- 
cember, and  on  the  first  of  January,  inst.,  they  had  extended  the  work  to  653  feet.  It  is 
confidently  anticipated  that  several  of  these  tunnels  will  be  completed  during  the  present 
winter,  the  work  progressing  through  the  intervention  of  a  relay  of  hands  both  day  and 
night.  The  tunnel  under  contract  to  Scott  &  Young,  in  the  village  of  Sing  Sing,  is  now 
within  a  few  feet  of  seeing  daylight  through  it,  and  a  short  tunnel  of  150  feet  under  con- 
tract to  T.  N.  Ferrell,  is  cut  through  from  end  to  end. 

Six  of  the  culverts  are  completed,  and  five  partly  finished.  They  vary  in  dimen- 
sions from  two  to  ten  feet  span  of  the  arch,  and  from  50  to  150  feet ,  in  length.  The 
inverted  arch  or  floor  of  the  incomplete  culverts  is  finished,  so  that  the  flow  of  water 
through  the  brook,  passes  them  freely  ;  and  sufficient  of  the  upper  arch  has  been  laid  to 
permit  the  crossing  of  the  valley  with  the  stone  embankment. 

The  foundation  wall  of  the  aqueduct,  amounting  to  12,050  cubic  yards,  and  back 
filling  to  10,200  cubic  yards,  has  been  executed. 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT.  149 

In  addition,  a  large  amount  of  materials  has  been  prpcured  for  the  work,  and  many 
items  of  work  performed. 

Here  is  a  respectable  amount  of  work,  considering  the  time  in  which  it  has  been  per- 
formed. Its  execution  has  not  only  given  general  satisfaction,  as  to  its  permanence  and 
durability,  through  the  mechanical  operations  of  combining  the  various  materials  into  a 
whole,  but  also  that  the  practicability  of  completing  the  undertaking  in  a  manner  and 
style  that  will  be  an  ornament  to  our  country,  and  of  the  highest  credit  to  the  public 
spirit  of  the  City  of  New  York,  and  its  corporate  representatives,  from  whom  the  project 
emanated  and  has  received  a  uniform  support,  is  now  beyond  a  doubt. 

A  very  small  number  of  our  citizens,  comparatively,  have  any  idea  of  the  magnitude  of 
the  work  and  its  progress  ;  the  immense  amount  of  mere  manual  labor  which  has  been,  and 
is  to  be  performed,  in  excavating  and  tunnelling  through  an  almost  impenetrable  rock,  or 
of  mechanical  labor  in  preparing  materials,  and  in  the  erection  of  the  bridges,  culverts, 
stone  and  foundation  walls,  together  with  the  aqueduct  for  conveying  the  water  to  the  city, 
and  other  erections  of  a  permanent  and  durable  character,  to  attempt  a  description  of  which, 
by  words,  is  out  of  the  question ;  they  must  be  seen  to  be  properly  understood ;  and  the 
Commissioners  think  they  may  appeal  with  confidence  to  those  members  of  your  honora- 
ble body,  who  made  an  excursion  over  the  line  of  aqueduct  in  the  month  of  August  last, 
for  the  correctness  of  this  opinion. 

The  operations  of  the  masons  were  suspended  on  the  8th  of  November  last,  and  the 
work  placed  in  a  condition  to  secure  it  against  the  frosts  of  winter.  Provision  is  made  in 
the  contracts,  that  no  hydraulic  masonry  shall  be  laid  up  between  the  15th  of  October 
and  the  1st  of  April  ;  but  the  weather  continuing  mild,  the  importance  of  forwarding 
this  part  of  the  work,  as  far  as  possible,  with  safety,  induced  an  extension  of  the  date  of 
suspension  to  the  8th  of  November  aforesaid. 

It  will  be  observed  there  is  a  much  larger  quantity  of  excavation  or  open  cutting  per- 
formed, than  of  any  other  description  of  work.  This  was  owing,  in  a  measure,  to  the  pres- 
sure of  the  times,  which  brought  forward  a  great  number  of  laborers  seeking  employ- 
ment ;  and  to  meet  this  emergency,  permission  was  given  to  proceed  with  this  descrip- 
tion of  labor,  in  order  that  as  many  of  these  people  as  practicable  might  be  employed, 
rather  than  confine  the  contractors  to  the  more  important  mechanical  operations,  on 
which  only  a  few,  comparatively,  could  be  engaged. 

The  contractors  have  been  urged  to  procure  as  much  of  the  stone  for  the  erection  of 
the  culverts,  to  be  prepared  during  the  winter,  as  practicable,  in  order  that  no  delay  may 
occur  in  their  construction  at  the  opening  of  the  next  season.  That  part  of  the  work 
requiring  no  mortar,  such  as  stone  wall  for  foundation  and  protection,  rock  excavation, 
tunnelling,  and  earth  embankment,  will  progress  during  the  winter  months  without  abate- 
ment. 

The  first  and  second  divisions,  which  are  included  in  the  contracts  made,  embrace  a 
line  of  aqueduct  of  21  miles  in  length,  and  the  Commissioners  were  only  waiting  for  the 
possession  of  the  land,  then  just  adjudicated  to  them,  extending  to  Harlem  river,  to  put 
under  contract  so  much  of  the  third  and  fourth  divisions,  as  should  carry  the  aqueduct 
over  that  river. 

But  to  enable  them  to  effect  their  object,  more  money  would  be  required — especially 
38 


150  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

if,  as  seemed  to  be  the  wish  of  many  citizens,  the  plan  of  Major  Douglas,  of  passing  the 
Harlem  on  a  high  bridge,  maintaining  the  level  of  the  aqueduct,  be  adopted. 

We  quote  the  reasoning  of  the  report  on  this  subject,  and  as  to  the  conveyance  of  the 
water  over  York  Island,  together  with  a  new  estimate  of  the  cost  of  the  whole  work  : 

With  a  view  of  deciding  the  question,  as  to  the  best  manner  of  bringing  the  Croton 
water  across  the  Harlem  River,  the  chief  engineer  was  instructed  to  furnish  the  Commis- 
sioners with  an  estimate  of  the  cost  of  crossing  said  river  by  an  aqueduct  bridge,  on  an 
inclined  plane  ;  and  also  by  an  inverted  syphon,  with  iron  pipes,  on  a  low  bridge.  The 
following  is  a  synopsis  of  so  much  of  the  report  alluded  to,  as  relates  to  the  plan  of  con- 
struction, and  some  other  matters  connected  with  the  subject. 

It  appears  the  width  of  the  river,  on  the  high  water  level,  was  found  to  be  620  feet ; 
and  the  distance  across  the  valley  of  Harlem  River,  from  the  grade  of  aqueduct  in  the 
county  of  Westchester,  to  the  grade  of  the  same  in  the  county  of  New  York,  is  1450  feet. 
The  depth  of  the  river,  to  the  rock  bottom,  was  found  to  be  32  feet  below  high  water  line, 
near  the  south  shore  ;  and  only  20  feet  on  the  north  shore. 

The  aqueduct  bridge  Avill  have  an  elevation  of  163  feet  above  the  rock  at  the  bottom 
of  the  river,  or  an  average  of  about  138  above  tide.  The  span  of  the  arches  over  the  river 
must  be  80  feet,  and  will  regularly  diminish  to  50  feet  span,  for  those  to  be  built  on  the 
land.  All  the  piers  are  to  be  constructed  hollow,  except  those  of  50  feet  span,  which  are 
to  be  built  up  solid.  The  piers  to  be  built  of  large  stone,  of  uniform  thickness  in  each 
course,  and  the  joints  not  to  exceed  two  and  a  half  eighths  of  an  inch.  The  work  gene- 
rally to  be  performed  in  the  most  approved  manner  practicable. 

In  making  an  estimate  of  the  cost  of  this  structure,  the  chief  engineer  observes,  that 
he  had  been  governed  by  the  value  of  work  of  much  similitude,  estimated  by  several  of 
the  most  competent  men  in  this  department  of  masonry;  that  there  is  no  work  under  con- 
tract precisely  similar,  or  of  the  same  magnitude,  or  which,  from  its  elevation  and  incon- 
venience of  access,  will  be  so  expensive  in  laying  up,  or  requires  so  great  a  portion  of  large 
stone,  or  the  same  exactness  of  execution  ;  at  the  same  time,  there  is  sufficient  resemblance 
to  constitute  a  guide  ;  which,  with  careful  application,  will  not  lead  astray  materially  in 
computing  the  expense. 

The  estimate  is  given  in  the  report  in  detail,  and  amount  in  the  aggregate,  as  follows : 
Estimate  for  a  high  bridge,  maintaining  a  uniform  inclination  of  aqueduct  $935,745 

The  plan  of  carrying  the  water  across  Harlem  River  by  an  inverted  syphon,  is  next 
considered.  It  is  proposed  to  erect  a  semi-circular  arch,  of  80  feet  span,  resting  on  abut- 
ment piers.  The  total  height  of  the  arch  from  the  level  of  flood  tide,  to  the  under  side  of 
it,  will  be  50  feet.  This  arch  is  placed  on  the  New  York  side  of  the  river,  and  will  form 
a  sufficient  channel  way  for  navigation. 

From  the  north  abutment  of  the  arch,  to  the  Westchester  side  of  the  river,  will  be  con- 
structed an  embankment  of  stone,  by  casting  them  into  the  river  until  a  sufficient  bed 
shall  be  formed  to  support  the  foundation  wall  of  the  aqueduct.  From  the  south  abutment 
pier  of  the  main  arch,  on  the  New  York  side  of  the  river,  an  arcade,  of  three  arches,  will 
be  built,  one  of  35,  one  of  30,  and  one  of  25  feet  span  ;  and,  connected  with  this,  a  foun- 
dation wall  will  be  carried  up  to  the  ascent,  until  it  reaches  the  grade  level,  where  the 
foundation  and  side  walls  are  to  be  laid,  to  receive  the  pipes  entering  the  effluent  pipe 


CROTON    AdUEDUCT. 

chamber.  The  foundation  walls,  extending  from  the  arcade  of  arches,  and  from  the  abut- 
ment of  the  channel  arch,  are  to  be  formed  of  dry  masonry,  except  two  feet,  constituting 
the  face,  and  two  feet  across  the  top,  to  form  the  bed  for  the  iron  pipes,  all  of  which  to 
be  laid  in  cement  mortar. 

A  parapet  wall  will  be  laid  on  each  side  of  the  bed  of  the  pipes,  to  support  the  earth 
covering,  which  is  to  be  four  feet  deep  above  the  pipes,  to  protect  the  water  from  the 
effects  of  frost. 

There  will  be  an  influent  pipe  chamber  at  the  termination  of  the  aqueduct  on  the 
north,  or  Westchester  side  of  the  river,  in  which  the  pipes  are  to  be  inserted.  Commenc- 
ing on  this  side  of  the  river,  at  the  influent  pipe  chamber,  the  pipes  descend  nearly  with 
the  slope  of  the  hill,  forming  an  angle  near  its  base,  and  thence  to  the  lowest  level ;  which 
determines  the  top  of  the  foundation  wall  for  the  pipes,  at  four  feet  above  flood  tide.  This 
level  is  continued  to  the  angle,  before  rising  to  the  channel  arch,  from  whence  an  inclined 
plane  carries  the  pipes  to  the  effluent  pipe  chamber,  on  the  New  York  side  of  the  river. 

It  is  proposed  to  arrange  the  structure  of  the  chambers,  and  foundation  for  the  pipes, 
to  accommodate  four  36  inch  cast  iron  conduits,  whenever  so  many  shall  be  required. 
Four  three  feet  pipes,  according  to  the  calculation  of  the  engineers,  will  deliver  49,843,984 
gallons  of  water  every  twenty-four  hours  ;  which  is  about  the  quantity  calculated  to  be 
delivered  by  the  aqueduct,  and  nearly  the  average  quantity  running  in  the  Croton.  River. 
It  is  proposed,  therefore,  to  insert  only  two  of  these  pipes  at  present ;  they  being  deemed 
more  than  sufficient  to  supply  the  city  with  water  for  many  years  to  come. 

This  estimate  is  reported  in  detail  likewise,  and  amounts  in  the  aggregate  as  follows  : 
GENERAL  ESTIMATE  for  plan  by  inverted  syphon  and  iron  pipes  -  -  $426,027 

The  following  is  a  comparison  between  the  two  plans  as  to  the  estimated  cost  of 
both  of  them. 

1st.  THE  HIGH  BRIDGE,  maintaining  its  established  inclination  over  the  river,  $935,745 
2nd.  IRON  PIPES,  supported  by  a  low  bridge,  -  426,027 

Excess  of  expense  for  the  high  bridge,     -  -       $509,718 

In  addition  to  the  report  of  the  chief  engineer,  the  Commissioners  directed  a  con- 
tracted plan  of  the  two  methods  of  crossing  the  Harlem  River,  to  be  prepared  by  Charles 
B.  Pearson,  Esq.,  an  architectural  draftsman,  now  in  the  employ  of  the  Commissioners, 
which  are  herewith  submitted  for  the  inspection  of  your  honorable  body. 

The  chief  engineer  expresses  a  decided  opinion  in  favor  of  the  plan  by  inverted 
syphons  or  pipes ;  and  the  Board  of  Commissioners,  after  due  deliberation,  have  adopted 
said  plan,  as,  in  their  opinion,  far  preferable  to  that  for  crossing  by  a  high  bridge  and 
inclined  plane. 

The  reasons  which  have  governed  the  Commissioners  in  this  decision,  are  as  follows : 

1st.  The  difference  in  the  cost  of  carrying  an  aqueduct  over  the  river,  on  a  bridge 
of  163  feet  in  height,  on  seven  immense  stone  piers,  sunk  in  the  water  and  mud,  on  an 
average  of  25  feet  below  tide,  with  80  feet  span  of  arches,  and  that  of  conducting  the 
water  over  a  low  bridge,  requiring  only  one  pier  in  the  river,  with  an  abutment,  is  suffi- 
client  of  itself,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Commissioners,  to  decide  the  question. 


152  MEMOIROFTHE 

2d.  All  the  purposes  and  objects  to  be  obtained  by  the  project,  will  as  well  be  at- 
tained by  the  plan  of  a  low  bridge  as  by  that  of  the  high  bridge,  and  at  an  expense  of 
more  than  half  a  million  of  dollars  less. 

3d.  The  experience  in  sinking  piers  in  so  great  a  depth  of  water  and  mud,  in  order 
to  reach  the  rock  bottom,  being  very  limited,  and  their  great  number  and  immense  height 
from  the  rock  to  the  spring  of  the  arches,  although  their  construction  is  practicable,  it 
must  be  attended  with  many  unforeseen  difficulties  and  casualties  ;  and  should  the  least 
variation  from  plumb  occur,  or  the  least  settlement  on  the  foundation  take  place,  it  would 
carry  with  it  very  injurious  results  to  the  work ;  while  with  the  low  bridge  and  iron 
pipes,  the  same  occurrence  would  be  attended  with  but  trifling  injury,  and  could  very 
soon  be  repaired. 

4th.  The  water  in  the  large  aqueduct  of  masonry  would,  with  much  more  uncer- 
tainty, be  protected  from  frost  on  the  high  bridge,  from  the  greatly  elevated  exposure  and 
difficulty  in  surrounding  it  with  a  sufficient  quantity  of  earth,  than  when  constructed  on 
the  land ;  while  the  iron  pipes,  from  their  comparative  size,  may  be  bedded  in  earth  of 
sufficient  depth  and  compactness,  to  avoid  all  possibility  of  being  affected  by  the  frost. 

5th.  The  effects  of  leakage  have  been  found  very  injurious  to  the  aqueduct  bridges 
on  our  canals,  and  it  is  therefore  a  part  of  our  contract  to  line  the  aqueduct,  when  the 
crossing  of  streams  on  bridges  is  necessary,  with  plates  of  cast  iron,  in  order  to  avoid  the 
possibility  of  repairs,  which  might  require  the  shutting  out  of  the  water  while  effecting 
them,  and  thus  be  attended  with  serious  consequences  to  the  city.  This  evil  will  be 
entirely  avoided  by  the  use  of  iron  pipes  ;  but  should  anything  occur  to  injure  one  of  the 
pipes,  the  other  would  still  be  kept  in  operation,  and  conduct  a  sufficient  supply  of  water 
through  the  aqueduct  to  the  reservoir  for  all  ordinary  purposes. 

6th.  The  time  necessary  to  complete  the  high  bridge,  would  be  considerably  more 
than  what  would  be  required  for  constructing  the  low  one,  and  a  saving  of  time  in  bring- 
ing to  the  city  a  sufficient  supply  of  the  Croton  water,  is  a  consideration  worthy  of  at- 
tention. 

7th.  If  the  river  should  ever  be  made  navigable,  by  the  removal  of  the  mills  at  Kings- 
bridge,  and  of  the  obstruction  of  the  dam  at  Macomb's  Bridge,  the  facility  afforded  by  the 
low  bridge,  of  an  archway  of  80  feet  in  width,  and  50  feet  in  height  above  full  tide,  will 
admit  the  passage  of  vessels  of  sufficient  burthen  and  capacity,  for  every  useful  and  ne- 
cessary purpose,  and  the  high  bridge  could  do  no  more. 

Although  the  Commissioners  have  thus  decided,  based  upon  the  foregoing  reasons, 
and  in  accordance  with  what  they  deemed  their  duty,  they  nevertheless  admit,  so  far  as 
architectural  display  is  involved,  that  the  high  bridge  has  the  preference ;  and  if  your 
honorable  body  should  be  of  opinion,  notwithstanding  the  great  additional  expense,  that 
the  aqueduct  should  cross  the  Harlem  River  on  a  high  bridge,  and  will  fortify  that  opinion 
by  an  ordinance,  passed  by  both  Boards,  and  approved  by  the  Mayor,  the  aqueduct  shall 
be  constructed  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  such  ordinance. 

The  necessary  surveys  and  levels,  to  ascertain  the  most  suitable  course  for  the  aque- 
duct on  the  island  of  New  York,  have  only  recently  been  effected ;  some  demonstration, 
however,  towards  completing  a  plan,  had  been  made,  under  the  direction  of  Major 
Douglas  ;  but  it  was  found  necessary  to  go  over  the  whole  ground  again,  in  order  to  arrive 
at  a  result  satisfactory  to  the  present  chief  engineer ;  and  an  earlier  attention  to  the  subject 
was  prevented  by  the  pressing  necessity  of  preparing  the  first  and  second  divisions  of  the 
aqueduct  for  contract,  and  also  the  great  care  required  in  a  work  of  such  magnitude  and 


CROTON    AaUEDUCT.  153 

importance,  that  the  first  portions  of  the  project  should  be  well  and  permanently  executed, 
as  a  guide  and  example  for  the  future. 

The  result  of  these  examinations  carries  the  aqueduct  from  the  Harlem  River  to  the 
receiving  reservoir  as  follows :  it  commences  on  the  New  York  side  of  the  river,  at  the 
effluent  pipe  chamber,  on  land  belonging,  or  lately  belonging,  to  the  estate  of  Stephen 
Jumel,  where  a  tunnel  of  200  feet  is  contemplated.  It  then  takes  a  southerly  course, 
crossing  the  land  of  Mr.  Watkins  ;  then  runs  westerly  on  the  land  of  Carman  and  Con- 
nor, and  enters  the  10th  avenue  at  151st  street,  where  a  tunnel,  averaging  45  feet  below 
the  surface,  must  be  made  from  140th  to  135th  street  inclusive.  The  line  then  continues 
in  the  10th  avenue  to  107th  street,  and  makes  a  curve  easterly  to  104th  street,  and  from 
thence  runs  parallel  with,  and  125  feet  from,  the  northerly  line  of  the  9th  avenue  to  90th 
street,  where  another  curve  occurs,  carrying  the  line  to  85th  street,  where  it  enters  the 
receiving  reservoir.  From  this  reservoir  it  is  proposed  to  conduct  the  water,  through  the 
5th  avenue,  to  the  distributing  reservoir  on  Murray  Hill,  by  iron  pipes. 

In  following  the  line  of  aqueduct  as  above  described,  its  grade  will,  in  several  places, 
be  above  the  present  surface  of  the  ground,  and  from  102d  to  95th  street  inclusive,  in 
order  to  accommodate  the  carriageway  and  sidewalks,  archways  must  be  erected  over  the 
streets,  and  the  aqueduct  carried  on  a  stone  embankment  of  from  33  to  48  feet  in  height ; 
and  in  passing  through  the  5th  avenue  with  the  iron  pipes  to  the  distributing  reservoir,  a 
portion  of  the  carriageway  must  be  graded,  in  order  that  the  pipes  may  be  sunk  to  a  pro- 
per depth  below  the  surface  of  the  street  not  to  be  out  of  the  reach  of  repairs,  should  any 
be  at  any  time  required,  nor  so  near  the  surface  as  to  be  exposed  to  the  action  of  frost. 

The  Commissioners  submitted  an  estimate  to  your  honorable  body  in  their  report  of 
the  3d  of  July  last,  of  the  probable  cost  of  completing  the  first  and  second  divisions  of 
the  aqueduct,  and  promised  to  report  an  estimate  of  the  total  amount  that  would  be 
required  to  complete  the  whole  project,  including  the  receiving  reservoir  between  the  6th 
and  7th  avenues  and  79th  and  86th  streets,  and  the  distributing  reservoir  on  Murray  Hill, 
in  order  that  authority  might  be  obtained  from  the  Legislature  to  raise  the  additional 
funds  required.  The  chief  engineer  has,  accordingly,  at  the  request  of  the  Commission- 
ers, furnished  them  with  his  views  on  the  subject,  so  far  as  they  relate  to  the  operations  of 
his  department  of  the  works,  including  the  most  substantial  and  economical  mode  of  con- 
struction, with  the  probable  expense  of  such  construction  ;  and  the  Commissioners  have 
added  the  actual  cost  of  the  land  paid  for,  and  the  probable  cost  of  that  still  to  be 
acquired ;  also  the  sum  paid  for  the  temporary  use  of  land  for  roads  and  embankments, 
and  the  probable  expense  of  what  may  still  be  required,  with  other  damages  and  probable 
charges  for  water  and  land,  incident  to  the  undertaking ;  also  the  amount  already  paid  for 
salaries  and  other  incidental  expenses  of  the  Commissioners  already  incurred,  and  includ- 
ing the  amount  that  may  be  incurred,  the  estimates  thus  embracing  every  expenditure 
already  made  and  to  be  made,  from  the  commencement  to  the  final  completion  of  the 
work.  In  bringing  together  the  several  items  which  compose  this  estimate,  an  attempt 
has  been  made  to  cover  every  positive  and  probable  expense,  in  the  hope,  at  the  same  time, 
that  the  actual  cost  will  be  less  than  that  stated,  which  the  Commissioners  will  use  every 
means  in  their  power  to  effect,  and  thus  a  third  application  to  the  Legislature  be 
avoided. 

By  a  reference  to  the  report  of  the  chief  engineer,  alluded  to  above,  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  crossing  of  the  valley  at  Manhattanville,  with  the  aqueduct,  and  the  erection  of 
the  receiving  and  distributing  reservoirs,  are  works  of  great  magnitude  and  cost.  For 

39 


154  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

crossing  the  Manhattan  Valley,  three  lines  are  designated,  and  an  estimate  furnished  for 
carrying  the  aqueduct  on  a  high  bridge  from  the  north  to  the  south  grade.  The  first 
line  runs  diagonally  from  128th  street  in  the  9th  Avenue,  to  between  118th  and  119th 
streets,  in  the  10th  Avenue.  The  second  line  crosses  the  valley,  and  runs  parallel  with, 
and  125  feet  from,  the  10th  Avenue.  The  third  line  continues  through  the  centre  of  the 
10th  Avenue. 

The  crossing  of  all  these  lines  is  to  be  effected  by  means  of  a  bridge,  with  semi- 
circular arches  of  50  feet  span. 

The  length  of  the  three  lines  from  grade  on  the  north,  to  grade  on  the  south  side  of 
the  valley,  are  as  follows  : 

First,  or  diagonal  line,      -  3,300  feet. 

Second,  running  125  feet  east  of  10th  Avenue,       -  -       3,700  feet. 

Third  line,  running  through  the  10th  Avenue,  3,700  feet. 

The  maximum  elevation  of  the  bridge  above  the  natural  surface  of  the  ground  to 
grade  line,  is  about  103  feet,  and  to  the  top  of  the  parapet  wall  116  feet.  To  erect  a 
bridge  on  the  first  or  diagonal  line,  as  per  estimate,  will  cost  $983,000  00 

The  same  for  the  second  line,  -     1,286,880  00 

The  same  for  the  third  line,  1,286,020  00 


$3,555,900  00 

It  thus  appears  that  making  an  average  of  the  cost  of  crossing  the  valley  on  an  arched 
bridge,  by  the  three  lines  designated,  and  continuing  the  aqueduct  on  its  regular  inclina- 
tion, will  amount  to  $1,188,633. 

An  estimate  is  then  presented,  for  crossing  the  valley  with  pipes,  or  inverted  syphons, 
of  three  feet  diameter.  The  estimate  proceeds  upon  the  principle,  that  only  two  pipes 
will  be  required  at  present,  which  will  supply  about  nineteen  millions  of  gallons  per  day, 
and  allow  thirty  gallons  to  each  person,  of  a  population  of  600,000  inhabitants  ;  and  in 
order  to  show  the  economy  of  the  plan  of  crossing  the  valley  by  pipes,  instead  of  an 
aqueduct  bridge,  a  sum  or  capital  is  added  to  the  estimate,  the  interest  of  which  will  pay 
for  any  additional  number  of  pipes  that  may,  in  future  be  required,  from  time  to  time,  as 
the  population  increases,  sufficient  to  carry  the  whole  produce  of  the  Croton  river  to  the 
reservoirs. 

The  estimate  for  crossing  with  four  pipes  of  3  feet  diameter,  all  laid,  amounts  to  $453,670 

For  two  pipes  of  the  same  dimensions      -  303,926 

For  five  pipes,  all  laid  down  550,988 

For  only  two  pipes  of  the  five  laid  down  -  346,372 

It  thus  appears,  if  it  should  be  deemed  necessary  to  lay  down  four  pipes  in  the  firs-t 
instance,  at  a  cost  of  $453,670,  which  would  furnish  38  million  of  gallons  every  twenty- 
four  hours,  there  would  still  be  a  saving  in  the  expense,  by  carrying  the  water  over  the 
valley  by  pipes,  of  $734,963,  adopting  the  average  cost  of  carrying  it  by  an  aqueduct  bridge; 
and  comparing  the  cost  of  building  the  bridge  on  the  diagonal  line,  which  is  the  cheapest, 
with  the  estimate  for  laying  two  pipes  that  will  carry  19  millions  of  gallons  daily,  there  is 
still  a  saving  by  the  latter  plan  of  $679,074. 


CROTONAdUEDUCT.  155 

The  Commissioners  were  in  hopes,  as  they  had  abandoned  the  idea  of  crossing  the 
Harlem  river  with  an  aqueduct  bridge,  that  they  would  have  been  enabled  to  recommend 
the  building  of  a  similar  structure  for  carrying  the  water  over  the  Manhattan  Valley  ;  a 
work  that  must  have  been  an  ornament  to  the  city  and  a  credit  to  the  Corporation,  as  well 
as  to  the  individuals  having  charge  of  its  execution  ;  but  the  vast  difference  in  the  cost,  has 
put  it  entirely  out  of  the  question,  and  they  have  accordingly  adopted  the  plan  of  carrying 
the  water  over  the  valley,  by  pipes,  or  inverted  syphons. 

In  adopting  the  foregoing  plans,  for  conducting  the  water  over  the  Harlem  river,  and 
in  crossing  the  valley  at  Manhattanville,  on  the  island  of  New  York,  both  the  Commission- 
ers and  engineers  have  been  governed  by  a  wish  to  reduce  the  cost  of  the  work  to  the 
lowest  possible  sum,  consistent  with  its  durability  and  permanence.  The  plan,  however, 
may  be  modified,  both  in  those  particulars  as  well  as  others,  if  deemed  expedient  by  your 
honorable  body,  and  a  high  bridge  may  be  substituted,  instead  of  the  syphon  at  the  Har- 
lem river  and  Manhattanville,  by  incurring  an  additional  expenditure  of  one  million,  one 
hundred  and  eighty -eight  thousand,  seven  hundred  and  ninety-two  dollars;  and  by 
delivering  the  water  in  the  city,  at  a  much  less  elevation  than  what  has  been  contemplated, 
a  lower  grade  may  be  adopted  for  the  aqueduct,  that  would  prevent  its  rising  above  the 
present  surface  on  this  island.  The  Commissioners,  however,  do  by  no  means  recommend 
this  deviation  from  the  plan  proposed ;  but  as  some  of  their  fellow  citizens  have  expressed  a 
solicitude  that  the  water  might  be  carried  on  an  aqueduct  bridge  with  architectural  display, 
the  Commissioners  are  disposed  to  be  guided  by  the  opinion,  legally  expressed,  of  your 
honorable  body  on  the  subject. 

That  the  permanent  grade  of  the  several  streets  and  avenues,  adjacent  to  the  line  of 
the  aqueduct,  ought,  as  far  as  practicable,  to  be  made  to  conform  to  such  line,  the  Commis- 
sioners think  must  be  admitted  ;  and  they  trust,  therefore,  that  the  whole  subject  may  be 
specially  referred  to  a  Joint  Committee  of  both  Boards  and  the  Street  Commissioner,  with 
authority  to  take  measures  for  opening  and  fixing  the  grade  of  such  streets  and  avenues 
through  which  the  water  is  to  pass,  and  to  adopt  such  modification  of  the  plan,  on  the 
island  of  New  York,  as  shall  seem  most  conducive  to  the  end  in  view ;  and  the  Commis- 
sioners and  chief  engineer  promise  to  co-operate  with  such  committee,  and  to  lend  them 
all  the  assistance  in  their  power. 

The  estimate  for  erecting  the  receiving  reservoir,  to  have  a  depth  of  20  to 

25  feet  of  water,  and  to  contain  158,000,000  of  gallons,  is  -  -  $310,500,  00 

The  distributing  reservoir  of  Murray  Hill,  will  have  an  average  elevation  of 
about  31  feet  above  the  natural  surface,  and  40  feet  above  the  estab- 
lished grade,  and  will  be  420  feet  square.  The  estimated  cost  is  -  295,340  00 


The  total  cost  of  the  reservoirs,       -  -      $605,840  00 

The  cost  of  the  four  divisions  of  the  aqueduct,  commencing  at  the  Croton 
Reservoir,  and  ending  at  the  Receiving  Reservoir,  including  the 
crossing  at  the  Harlem  River,  and  the  Manhattan  Valley,  by  pipes, 
amounts  to  -  6,189,000  00 

And  for  the  connecting  pipes,  between  the  receiving  and  distributing  reser- 
voirs, 499,110  00 

Add  for  contingencies  and  superintendence,  eight  per  cent,       -  583,516  00 

Total  estimate  for  aqueduct,  engineering,  &c.,  -  -   $7,877,466  00 


155  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

To  which  must  be  added  as  follows  : 

Cash  paid  for  land  in  fee,  and  estimated  to  be  paid,  501,158  00 

Cash  paid  for  temporary  use  of  land,  and  estimated  to  be  paid,  12,175  00 
Cash  paid,  and  estimated  to  be  paid,  for  salaries,  postage,  printing,  travelling, 

stationery,  Counsel,  and  Chancery  expenses,  &c.,  73,234  00 


Total  cost  of  completing  the  works,   except  the  iron  pipes  for  conducting 

the  water  through  the  streets  of  the  city,       -  -   $8,464,033  00 

It  therefore  appears,  that  a  sum  of  about  $6,000,000  will  be  required  for  this  object,  in 
addition  to  the  $2,500,000,  authorised  by  the  "  Act  to  provide  for  supplying  the  city  of 
New  York  with  pure  and  wholesome  water." 

This  high  estimate,  exceeding  by  three  millions  of  dollars  any  former  one,  "  can  only 
be  accounted  for,"  says  the  report,  "  by  the  fact  that  the  engineers,  originally  employed, 
did  not  possess  the  means  of  testing  their  calculations  by  the  actual  contract  price,  as  we 
have  been  enabled  to  do." 

The  Commissioners  conclude  this  important  report,  by  reiterating  their  former  sug- 
gestion in  favor  of  a  special  department  to  take  charge  of  the  finances  for  the  Aqueduct, 
and  to  adjust  claims  growing  out  of  the  work. 

The  Common  Council,  nothing  daunted  by  the  greatly  increased  cost  of  the  con- 
templated Aqueduct,  or  perhaps  being  in  too  far  to  recede,  complied  with  the  call  for  ad- 
ditional means,  by  a  memorial  to  the  Legislature,  asking  authority  to  raise  three  millions, 
which  was  granted  by  the  law  of  29th  March,  1838,  the  loan  to  bear  an  interest  not 
exceeding  six  per  cent.  The  Corporation,  by  another  law  of  24th  March,  were  authorised 
to  defray,  out  of  the  Water  Fund,  all  expenses  for  procuring  and  laying  down  pipes  for 
the  distribution  of  the  water.  But  the  Common  Council  did  not  approve  of  the  substitu- 
tion of  inverted  syphons  for  a  high  bridge,  to  pass  the  water  over  the  Harlem,  and  accord- 
ingly the  Board  of  Assistants  adopted  this  resolution  : 

RESOLVED,  That  it  is  inexpedient  to  adopt  the  plan  proposed  by  the  Water  Commis- 
sioners, for  crossing  the  Harlem  river  by  means  of  a  low  bridge  or  syphon,  and  that  the 
plan  of  the  high  bridge  referred  to  in  the  Report  of  the  Commissioners,  should  be  adopted, 
as  submitted  to,  and  approved  by,  the  electors  of  the  City  and  County  of  New  York. 

Adopted  by  the  Board  of  Assistants,  July  9,  1838. 

The  progress  made  during  this  year  was  great.  The  whole  remaining  line  in  West- 
chester  County,  comprising  the  third  division,  and  six  sections  of  the  fourth,  were  put 
under  contract,  at  prices  lower  than  those  of  the  preceding  year,  and  with  great  competi- 
tion in  the  bids.  The  necessary  maps  of  the  land  required  on  the  island  of  New  York, 


C  R  O  T  O  N    A  a  U  E  D  U  G'T.  157 

amounting  to  about  26  acres,  were  completed,  and  negotiations  were  entered  into  by  the 
Commissioners,  for  the  purchase. 

Four  blocks  of  the  land  required  for  the  receiving  reservoir,  containing  about  4f  acres 
each,  were  obtained  by  purchase,  and  application  was  made  to  the  Chancellor,  for  the  ap- 
pointment of  appraisers,  on  whose  award  the  remaining  lands  might  be  taken. 

A  circular  was  also  addressed  to  the  chief  iron  founders  in  the  United  States  and 
Great  Britain,  inviting  proposals  for  the  iron  pipes  that  would  be  required  for  syphons, 
and  for  connecting  the  receiving,  with  the  distributing,  reservoir.  These  pipes,  for  the 
most  part,  were  to  be  3  feet  in  diameter,  and  others  30  inches,  varying  in  thickness,  from 
one  to  one  inch  and  a  quarter  each.  The  whole  weight  was  estimated  at  from  4  to  5000 
tons.  This  timely  notification  was  given,  to  the  end  that  it  might  be  ascertained,  whe- 
ther it  was  best  under  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  to  import  these  pipes,  or  obtain 
them  at  home. 

In  order  to  keep  the  progress  of  the  work  before  the  reader's  eye,  we  copy  from  the 
Commissioner's  Report  of  July,  1838,  the  statement  of  what  had  been  accomplished  since 
the  previous  report. 

The  work  performed  during  the  winter  consisted,  principally,  of  excavation  of  earth 
and  rock,  in  tunnelling,  and  in  quarrying  stone,  and  preparing  them  for  use  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  culverts,  bridges,  and  other  erections  connected  with  the  aqueduct,  which  has 
greatly  facilitated  the  spring  operations.  But,  in  order  that  some  idea  may  be  formed  of 
the  progress  of  the  work,  we  beg  leave  to  present  the  following  statement,  embracing  the 
principal  operations  on  the  line  ;  such  as  the  length  of  aqueduct  completed,  the  number 
and  extent  of  tunnel  excavation,  the  number  and  capacity  of  the  culverts  erected,  &c. : 

1st.  AGIUEDUCT.  The  whole  length  of  aqueduct,  arched  and  complete,  was,  on  the 
25th  of  June  last,  10,280  feet,  or  about  two  miles  in  length. 

2d.  SIDE  WALL.  The  length  of  the  side  wall  of  the  aqueduct,  ready  to  receive  the 
arch,  exclusive  of  that  already  arched,  was  18.376  feet,  or  about  three  and  a  half  miles  in 
length. 

3d.  CULVERTS.  There  are  twenty-two  culverts  completed  and  in  use,  discharging 
the  water  from  the  several  creeks  and  runs,  some  of  them  of  considerable  magnitude  ; 
and  their  aggregate  length  is  1825  feet.  The  number  partly  finished  was  seven,  and  their 
length  is  578  feet.  Seven  of  these  culverts  measure  from  100  to  148  feet  in  length  ;  seven 
of  them  from  80  to  96  feet,  and  thirteen  of  them  from  50  to  72  feet.  Nine  of  them  are 
large,  measuring  from  six  to  ten  feet  span,  eight  of  them  from  three  to  four  feet  span  ;  and 
the  remainder,  from  one  and  a  half  to  two  feet. 

4th.  TUNNELS.  Three  of  the  tunnels  have  been  perforated  through  the  solid  rock, 
from  one  end  to  the  other,  in  the  aggregate  670  feet  in  length.  One  on  section  twenty, 
335  feet ;  one  on  section  fifteen,  165  feet ;  and  one  on  section  thirty,  170  feet  in  length. 
There  are  also  five  tunnels,  partly  finished,  measuring,  in  the  aggregate,  610  feet,  excava- 
ted. In  a  long  tunnel  on  section  fifteen,  there  have  been  excavated  through  the  solid  rock, 
40 


158  MEMOIROFTHE 

360  feet  ;  and  another  on  section  sixteen,  200  feet ;  the  other  three,  from  10  to  25  feet  ; 
making  a  total  of  tunnel  excavation  of  1280  feet  in  length. 

5th.  FOUNDATION  AND  PROTECTION  WALL.  The  quantity  of  foundation  wall 
laid,  amounted  to  28,000  cubic  yards,  and  of  protection  wall,  13.160  cubic  yards. 

This  is  but  a  very  brief  sketch  of  the  work  which  has  been  performed,  and  is  con- 
fined altogether  to  the  operations  on  the  first  and  second  divisions,  exclusive  of  the  large 
amount  of  excavation  in  rock  and  earth  on  a  line  of  thirty-three  miles  in  length,  nearly 
the  whole  of  which  has  been  completed,  together  with  a  large  amount  of  building  mate- 
rials prepared. 

The  contractors  on  the  sections  lately  placed  under  contract,  comprising  the  whole 
of  the  THIRD  and  a  portion  of  the  FOURTH  divisions,  have  commenced  their  work  with 
spirit,  and  appear  unwilling  to  be  outdone  by  their  predecessors  on  the  works.  The  num- 
ber of  mechanics  and  laborers  employed  on  the  whole  line,  on  the  25th  ultimo,  was  3043  ; 
they  will  be  very  considerably  increased  during  the  summer,  as  the  Commissioners  have 
good  reason  to  hope  ;  which  will  enable  them  to  show,  in  their  next  semi-annual  report, 
an  important  addition  to  the  work  under  their  charge.  The  whole  length  of  aqueduct 
now  under  contract,  extending  from  the  Croton  to  the  Harlem  River,  is  THIRTY-THREE 
MILES. 

Owing  to  a  turn-out  for  wages  early  in  the  season,  the  work  on  the  line  between  the 
dam  and  Sing  Sing,  was  somewhat  retarded.  The  promptness  of  the  magistrates  of  that 
town  prevented  the  evil  from  spreading,  and  the  contractors  having  taken  back  such  of  the 
laborers  as  they  were  still  willing  to  receive,  and  refusing  on  any  terms  to  employ  the 
ringleaders  of  the  rioters,  order  was  restored  and  the  work  resumed. 

But  a  more  fruitful  and  formidable  cause  of  disaster  than  casual  dissatisfaction  with  the 
rate  of  wages,  soon  occasioned  trouble  on  the  line.  The  Commissioners,  as  has  been  already 
stated,  bound  all  the  contractors  to  prohibit  the  use  of  ardent  spirits,  and  on  the  part  of 
these  contractors}  entire  good  faith  seems  to  have  been  observed  on  that  head.  But  indivi- 
dual cupidity,  and  want  of  thought,  or  of  a  due  appreciation  of  the  consequences,  on  the  part 
of  the  licensing  magistrates,  led  to  the  opening  of  grog-shops  in  their  worst  form,  in  some 
of  the  neighboring  farm  houses,  and  in  shanties  erected  for  the  purpose  without  the  line 
where  the  contractors  could  exercise  any  authority.  Here  the  poison  was  freely  sold, 
and  although  the  contractors  and  superintendents  exerted  all  their  vigilance  to  prevent  its 
being  introduced  on  the  line,  and  repeatedly  discharged  laborers  who  were  found  intoxi- 
cated, the  "enemy  of  man,"  as  it  is  justly  called  in  the  report,  prevailed  so  far,  that  in  the 
month  of  April,  during  a  drunken  frolic,  one  of  their  ancient  national  feuds  broke  out  among 
the  Irish  laborers,  and  under  the  respective  denominations  of  Corkites  and  Fermanaghs, 
the  two  parties  rushed  into  a  desperate  fight,  in  Avhich  one  man,  named  Baxter,  was  killed, 
and  very  many  were  wounded  and  mangled  in  a  shocking  manner. 

As,  during  the  preceding  year,  no  disturbance,  misconduct,  nor  depredation  had  occur- 


CROTON    AQUEDUCT.  159 

red  among  the  laborers — no  place  for  the  sale  of  liquors  having  then  been  opened — and 
as  it  was  all-important,  alike  for  the  progress  of  the  work,  and  for  restoring  the  confidence 
of  the  inhabitants  along  the  route,  that  decisive  measures  should  be  taken  to  punish  the 
rioters,  indictments  were  found  against  several  for  murder.  The  swearing,  however, 
was  so  contradictory,  that  the  act  of  killing  could  not  be  fixed  upon  any  individual,  and 
the  Court  and  Jury,  foregoing  the  capital  charge,  were  content  to  bind  the  most  conspicu- 
ous, under  recognizance,  to  keep  the  peace.  Order  was  by  these  means  restored,  and 
every  thing  went  on  again  in  harmony. 

The  Commissioners,  in  this  report,  draw  the  attention  of  the  Corporation  to  the  fact, 
that  the  assessors  of  the  towns  in  Westchester  county,  along  the  line,  proposed  to  include 
not  only  the  lands  occupied  by  the  aqueduct,  but  the  unfinished  work  of  the  aqueduct 
itself,  in  the  property  of  the  town  to  be  rated  for  taxation  ;  and  that  instead  of  rating  the 
lands  only  at  the  valuation  of  the  neighboring  farms  from  which  they  had  been  taken, 
they  had  in  the  town  of  Greensburg  alone,  valued  the  property  of  the  aqueduct  at 
$60,000 

Believing  such  a  measure,  in  regard  to  such  a  work,  to  be  unprecedented,  the  Com- 
missioners recommend  to  the  Corporation,  to  invoke  legislative  protection. 

They  also  renew  a  request,  previously  made,  that  the  Corporation  would  take  imme- 
diate measures  for  opening  and  establishing  the  grade  of  the  avenues  and  streets  through 
which  the  line  of  the  aqueduct  passed,  and  also  those  by  which  the  receiving  reservoir  is 
bounded. 

After  bearing  testimony  anew  to  their  constant  satisfaction  with  the  ability  and  devo- 
tedness  of  the  engineer  corps,  and  particularly  of  its  able  head,  the  Commissioners  pay  a 
merited  tribute  to  the  Common  Council  of  1835,  "for  the  public  spirit  they  displayed  in 
the  prompt  approval  of  the  plan  for  supplying  the  city  with  pure  and  wholesome  water,  as 
proposed  by  the  Commissioners,  and  in  their  relying  for  authority  to  raise  the  means,  upon 
the  favorable  voice  of  their  fellow-citizens,  through  the  ballot  boxes,  founded  on  their 
knowledge  of  the  propriety  of  the  measure,  and  the  ability  of  the  Corporation  to  carry  it 
into  effect.  The  same  spirit  has  been  uniformly  evinced  by  subsequent  Common  Coun- 
cils, in  rendering  their  unremitting  countenance  and  aid  to  the  measure ;  and  to  these,"  the 
Commissioners  add,  "they  are  mainly  indebted  for  their  ability  to  progress  thus  far  with 
the  great  and  important  work  under  their  special  charge." 

During  the  whole  of  this  year,  operations  were  pushed  with  great  vigor,  so  that  nearly 
one  million  six  hundred  thousand  dollars  were  expended,  and  from  3500  to  3800  men  em- 
ployed— denoting,  on  the  part  of  the  contractors,  a  determination  to  complete  the  work 
within  the  time  specified  in  their  respective  contracts. 


160  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

The  whole  amount  disbursed,  up  to  31st  December,  1838,  was  within  a  small  frac- 
tion of  two  millions  of  dollars. 

On  1st  October,  the  Commissioners  opened  the  bids  from  the  various  iron  masters  in 
England  and  the  United  States,  to  whom  they  had  addressed  notices  respecting  the  iron 
pipes  needed.  There  were  three  offers  from  England,  and  seven  from  the  United  States. 
That  of  the  West  Point  Foundry  Association  being  found  a  shade  lower  than  the  others, 
a  contract  was  passed  with  them,  with  adequate  personal  security  on  their  part  for  the  due 
fulfilment  of  their  undertaking. 

The  Commissioners  also  let  out  upon  advantageous  terms  the  difficult  and  important 
sections  from  86  to  97,  part  of  the  fourth  division.  These  included  the  bridge  to  support 
the  syphons  across  the  Harlem  River,  the  work  to  support  the  pipes  across  Manhattan  val- 
ley, the  bridge  over  Clendining  valley,  the  receiving  reservoir  at  Eighty-sixth-street,  and 
the  distributing  reservoir  at  Murray  Hill. 

This  completed  the  contracts,  from  the  dam  at  the  Croton  to  the  distributing  reser- 
voir, a  distance  of  about  41  miles,  and  all  the  work  was  to  be  finished  in  1841. 

The  opposition,  however,  to  the  syphon  bridge  over  the  Harlem,  instead  of  a  lofty 
aqueduct  bridge  on  a  continuous  grade,  was  by  no  means  abated.  Notice  was  served  on 
the  Commissioners  in  behalf  of  land-owners  not  residents  of  the  State,  bordering  on  the 
line  where  it  was  to  pass  the  Harlem,  that  application  would  be  made  to  the  Circuit  Court 
of  the  United  States,  to  restrain  any  such  construction  in  or  over  that  river,  as  '•  should 
impede  or  obstruct  the  navigation  thereof,  and  particularly  from  filling  up  the  channel  of 
the  said  river."  Moreover,  notices  were  published  in  the  papers  in  which  the  advertise- 
ments of  the  Commissioners  appeared  for  contracts  to  build  the  syphon  bridge,  warning 
all  persons  against  undertaking  such  a  work,  as  every  means  the  law  would  justify,  would 
be  used  to  prevent  it.  The  Board  of  Assistant  Aldermen,  moreover,  as  has  been  seen, 
adopted  a  resolution  in  favor  of  the  high  bridge,  but  the  Commissioners  still  persevered  in 
their  plan.  The  contracts  were  duly  entered  into,  and  the  reasons  of  the  Commissioners 
for  going  on  with  the  syphon  bridge  are  thus  assigned  : 

1st,  Because  the  plan  submitted  to  the  Common  Council,  and  afterwards  to  the  test 
of  the  ballot  boxes,  was  in  favor  of  the  syphon. 

2d,  Because  the  Commissioners  were  of  opinion,  that  the  crossing  in  the  manner 
proposed,  is  the  easiest,  the  safest,  and  the  most  permanent  and  durable; 

3d,  Because  this  is  the  unanimous  opinion  of  the  Commissioners,  and  of  the  whole 
corps  of  engineers  engaged  on  the  works,  and  in  this  opinion  they  are  joined  by  several 
engineers  of  eminence,  not  connected  with  the  operations, 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT. 

4th,  Because  the  high  arches  will  cost  half  a  million  of  dollars  more  than  the  syphons, 
and  will  also  require  two  or  three  years  more  time  to  erect  them. 

5th,  Because  the  Commissioners  are  advised,  by  counsel  learned  in  the  law,  that  the 
Act  of  the  Legislature  authorises  the  passage  of  the  water  by  the  plan  proposed  by  them. 

6th,  Because,  notwithstanding  these  considerations,  the  question  was  submitted  by 
the  Commissioners  to  the  Common  Council,  and  their  instructions  requested,  which  they 
promised  to  follow,  whether  such  instructions  should  be  in  favor  of  the  high  arches  or  of 
the  syphon ;  but  they  have  declined  instructing  them  on  the  subject,  or  assuming  the 
responsibility  of  changing  the  plan  of  the  Commissioners ;  and  now,  believing  it  to  be 
our  duty  to  carry  into  effect  that  plan  which  shall  require  the  least  expenditure,  and 
which  may  be  completed  in  the  shortest  time,  while  it  takes  nothing  from  the  permanence 
and  usefulness  of  the  object,  we  have  adopted  the  plan  by  syphons.  With  these  impres- 
sions, and  in  a  firm  belief  in  their  correctness,  it  would  be  the  height  of  impropriety  in 
the  Commissioners,  under  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  to  change  or  abandon  the  plan 
they  have  adopted  ;  and  they  will  therefore  proceed  in  its  execution,  unless  restrained  by 
due  course  of  law." 

The  summer  of  1838  was  one  of  unusual  drought ;  which,  while  favorable  to  the 
work  in  hand,  especially  in  the  masonry,  afforded  an  opportunity  of  comparing  the  flow 
of  the  Croton  with  that  of  ordinary  seasons. 

Accordingly,  on  the  16th  August,  Horatio  Allen,  Esq.,  principal  assistant  engineer, 
guaged  the  stream  at  two  different  stations — the  one  gave  as  the  result  26,386,560  gallons, 
running  in  24  hours,  the  second,  28,738,000,  averaging  27,584,780  gallons,  or  nearly 
three  times  the  supply  requisite  for  the  population  of  the  city  at  that  period. 

On  5th  September,  1833,  Major  Douglas  guaged  the  river,  and  found  51,522,486  gal- 
lons running ;  and  on  26th  of  the  same  month,  Mr.  Stein  found  50,074,044  gallons. 
These  were  considered  as  fair  averages  of  what  may  be  depended  on — though  at  times 
the  Croton  rolls  to  the  Hudson  several  hundred  million  gallons  daily.  But  over  and 
above  the  running  supply,  the  Croton  lake  created  by  the  dam,  is  estimated  to  contain 
100,000,000  gallons  for  each  foot  in  depth  from  the  surface,  and  this  may  be  drawn  down 
five  or  six  feet,  yielding  as  many  hundred  million  gallons.  The  receiving  reservoir 
will  contain  158  millions  of  gallons,  and  the  distributing  reservoir  19  millions — altogether 
forming  an  aggregate  surplus,  in  case  of  excessive  and  long  continued  drought,  sufficient 
for  any  possible  emergency. 

The  work  performed  during  the  last  six  months  of  the  year  is  thus  summarily  stated  : 

"  1st.  Aqueduct.     The  whole  length  of  aqueduct,  arched  and  complete,  is  59,169  feet 
41 


162 

or  eleven  and  one  fifth  miles.  That  completed  on  the  first  of  July  last  was  about  two 
miles.  The  increase,  in  this  part  of  the  work,  since  our  last  report,  is  nine  and  one  fifth 
miles  of  aqueduct  complete. 

2d.  Side  Wall.  The  length  of  side  wall,  ready  to  receive  the  arch,  exclusive  of 
that  already  arched,  is  1443  feet. 

3d.  Culverts.  There  are  79  culverts  completed  and  in  use.  Their  aggregate 
length  is  5476  feet.  The  number  completed  at  our  last  report  was  twenty-two,  and  their 
length  1825.  Increase,  57  culverts.  The  number  now  partly  finished  is  ten,  and  their 
length  in  feet  652.  The  number  partly  finished  at  our  last  report  was  seven;  length 
578.  Increase,  3  culverts  in  progress. 

Tunnels.  The  number  of  tunnels  excavated  throughout  is  three.  Their  aggregate 
length  667  feet.  There  are,  besides,  seven  tunnels  partly  finished,  measuring  1187  feet 
of  excavation;  making  .an  aggregate  of  tunnelling  of  1854  feet.  The  number  complete 
at  our  last  report  was  three,  arid  the  length  670  feet,  together  with  five  partly  finished, 
measuring  610  feet  in  length,  making  a  total  of  1280  feet.  Increase  in  this  description 
of  the  work  574  feet  of  tunnelling. 

Foundation  and  Protection  Wall.  The  foundation  wall  laid  is  58,439  cubic 
yards,  and  of  protection  wall  36,590  cubic  yards;  making  a  total  of  95,029  cubic  yards. 
The  quantity  of  foundation  wall,  laid  at  our  last  report,  was  28,000  cubic  yards,  and  of 
protection  wall  13,160;  making  a  total  of  41,160  cubic  yards..  •  Increase  since  our  report 
in  July  last,  53,869  cubic  yards. 

This  is  a  very  limited  sketch  of  the  amount  of  work  performed  as  a  whole,  and  is 
only  intended  to  convey  some  idea  of  the  structure  and  its  progress.  The  immense 
effort  in  penetrating  high  hills,  and  in  crossing  deep  valleys,  can  only  be  judged  of  by  a 
personal  view  of  the  vast  amount  of  labor  performed  by  the  physical  strength  of  man." 

This-  Report  of  the  Commissioners,  especially  in  that  part  of  it  that  commented  on 
the  Report  made  by  the  Board  of  Assistants  in  favor  of  a  high  bridge,  and  on  the  resolu- 
tion given  in  a  preceding  page,  which  that  Board,  in  conformity  with  the  Report,  passed — 
seems  to  have  touched  that  body — and  as  the  Commissioners  had  alway  addressed  their 
communications  to  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  the  Assistants  passed  the  following  resolution  : 

Resolved,  That  the  Water  Commissioners  be  requested  to  communicate  to  this  Board, 
as  a  constituent  branch  of  the  Common  Council,  a  copy  of  their  late  semi-annual  Report, 
to  the  end  that  this  Board  may  take  such  action  thereon  as  the  nature  thereof  may  require, 
and  that  the  Clerk  forthwith  communicate  a  copy  of  this  Resolution  to  the  said  Com- 
missioners. 

Adopted  by  the  Board  of  Assistants,  January  2,  1839. 


CROTON    AdUEDUCT. 


163 


Moreover,  the  landowners  and  others,  who  were  contending  for  the  uninterrupted 
navigation  of  the  Harlem,  abandoning  their  contemplated  appeal  to  the  U.  S.  Courts,  ad- 
dressed themselves  to  the  Legislature.  The  efforts  made  were  successful,  and  the  follow- 
ing law  was  passed  on  3d  May,  1839. 

AN  ACT 

PRESCRIBING  THE  MANNER    IN  WHICH  THE    CROTON  AQUEDUCT  SHALL  PASS    THE 

HARLEM    RIVER. 

The  People  of  the  State  of  New  York,  represented  in  Senate  and  Assembly,  do  enact 
as  follows  : 

§  1.  The  Water  Commissioners  shall  construct  an  aqueduct  over  the  Harlem  river, 
with  arches  and  piers  ;  the  arches  in  the  channel  of  said  river  shall  be  at  least  eighty  feet 
span,  and  not  less  than  one  hundred  feet  from  the  usual  hiffh  water  mark  of  the  river  to  the 
under  side  of  the  arches  at  the  crown  ;  or  they  may  carry  the  water  across  said  river  by  a 
tunnel  under  the  channel  of  the  river,  the  top  of  which  tunnel  shall  not  be  above  the  pre- 
sent bed  of  the  said  channel. 

The  Commissioners,  who  had  in  vain  sought  the  instruction  of  the  Common  Coun- 
cil on  this  vexed  question,  of  a  high  or  low  bridge,  and  who  had  at  last,  on  their  own  re- 
sponsibility, decided  in  favor  of  the  low  or  syphon  bridge,  and  had  actually  entered  into 
contract  for  its  construction,  were  naturally  not  a  little  annoyed  at  the  change  of  plan  thus 
authoritatively  forced  upon  them.  Nevertheless,  they  submitted  with  a  good  grace,  and, 
having  taken  the  precaution  to  insert  in  the  contract  a  proviso,  that  if  at  any  time  the  plan 
of  the  low  bridge  should  be  abandoned,  the  Commissioners  might  vacate  the  Contract  upon 
paying  the  contractors  for  work  done,  and  materials  delivered,  or  bespoken,  they  at  once 
proceeded,  on  6th  May,  when  a  certified  copy  of  the  act  was  handed  to  them,  to  declare 
that  the  contract  was  abandoned,  and  to  direct  their  engineers  to  ascertain  the  value  of  the 
work  done,  and  of  the  materials  delivered  under  it. 

They  also  directed  the  chief  engineer,  forthwith  to  examine  and  report  fully  upon 
the  two  modes  of  passing  the  Harlem,  prescribed  by  the  Legislature.  This  report,  made 
on  1st  June,  seems  of  sufficient  importance  to  be  given  at  length. 

REPORT 

OF  THE  CHIEF  ENGINEER,  ON  PLANS  FOR  CROSSING  HARLEM  RIVER. 

New  York,  June   1st,   1839. 
To  the  Honorable  the    Water  Commissioners  of  the  City  of  New   York : 

GENTLEMEN  : — The  resolution  of  your  Board,  requiring  the  undersigned  to  prepare 
plans  and  estimates  for  crossing  Harlem  River,  by  a  bridge,  the  arches  of  which  shall  be 


164 


MEMOIR     OF    THE 


elevated  100  feet  above  common  high  water  mark,  and  also  for  a  tunnel  under  the  channel 
of  the  river,  has  been  under  consideration. 

The  law  passed  at  the  recent  session  of  the  Legislature  provides,  in  relation  to  a  tun- 
nel under  Harlem  river,  that  the  top  of  the  tunnel  shall  not  be  above  the  natural  bed  of 
the  river,  and  that  it  shall  extend  across  the  channel  of  the  same.  This  will  require  the 
abutments  to  be  placed  about  300  feet  apart,  and  the  top  of  the  masonry  of  the  tunnel 
about  18  feet  below  the  high  water  level  of  the  river.  In  relation  to  the  bridge,  the  law 
prescribes  that  the  arches  in  the  channel  shall  be  100  feet  at  the  under  side  of  the  crown, 
above  common  high  water  mark  of  the  river,  and  not  less  than  80  feet  span — conforming 
in  these  respects,  we  are  at  liberty  to  make  the  plans,  in  all  others,  without  restriction 
from  the  law. 

In  the  report  of  the  undersigned,  made  to  your  Board  on  the  12th  December,  1837,  a 
plan  for  abridge  of  sufficient  height  and  stability  to  support  the  regular  inclination  of  the 
aqueduct  grade  was  presented.  This  plan  provided  for  an  aqueduct  of  masonry,  to 
be  rendered  more  impervious  by  a  cast  iron  lining;  but  as  it  was  supposed  the  Commis- 
sioners had  power,  and  no  objection  having  previously  been  made,  on  the  ground  of  inter- 
ference with  the  the  navigation,  a  structure,  conforming  nearly  to  the  shape  of  the  valley, 
and  rising  to  a  moderate  elevation  above  the  surface  of  the  river,  on  which  iron  pipes  were 
to  be  laid  and  secured,  was  recommended,  as  best  adapted  for  economy,  permanence,  and 
more  ready  execution,  to  carry  the  aqueduct  across  this  heavy  depression  from  the  grade 
line.  Although  adopted  by  your  Board,  and  put  in  progress  of  execution,  the  law  before 
mentioned  compels  its  abandonment.  We  are  therefore  with  only  the  alternatives  of  the 
Act  of  the  Legislature,  as  before  mentioned. 

The  arches  of  the  bridge,  originally  designed  to  maintain  the  grade  of  the  aqueduct, 
were  elevated  112  feet  above  the  high  water  mark  of  the  river,  which  is  12  feet  higher 
than  the  Act  requires.  It  is  obvious,  therefore,  that  100  feet  will  not  be  sufficient  to  main- 
tain an  aqueduct  of  masonry,  but  will  require  iron  pipes  as  conduits  for  the  water.  This 
I  do  not  consider  an  objection,  as  I  am  fully  satisfied,  iron  pipes  will  make  the  most  suita- 
ble conduit  for  the  water  on  such  a  bridge,  and  therefore  have  had  a  plan  prepared,  with 
a  view  to  comply  with  the  law,  arid  avail  of  the  economy  and  greater  permanence  from  a 
less  elevated  structure.  Owing  to  the  less  height  required  for  the  arches,  and  by  adopting 
iron  pipes  for  the  conduit,  the  top  of  the  parapets  will  be  114  feet  above  high  water  mark, 
which  is  17  feet  lower  than  the  original  plan.  The  superstructure  being  lighter  than  ne- 
cessary for  an  aqueduct  of  masonry,  a  diminished  thickness  of  arch  stone  may  with  equal 
safety  be  adopted. 

The  plan  of  piers  and  arches,  also  the  hydraulic  foundations,  and  manner  of  con- 
structing coffer  dams,  and  the  character  of  the  masonry  in  general,  are  proposed  to  be  simi- 
lar to  that  designed  for  the  original  plan.  Some  modifications  in  the  construction  and 
securing  of  the  coffer  dams,  will  be  provided  for  in  the  estimates.  For  greater  security, 
the  expense  of  the  coffer  dams  will  be  increased,  by  a  more  extensive  excavation  of  the 
mud  than  was  originally  contemplated,  and  a  course  of  plank  to  be  put  on  the  same 
before  sinking.  This  plan,  it  will  be  perceived,  has,  in  its  general  appearance,  a 
great  degree  of  similarity  to  what  has,  for  distinction,  been  called  the  high  bridge.  It 
will,  however,  in  consequence  of  its  being  of  less  height,  and  adapted  to  support  a  lighter 
superstructure,  be  less  expensive.  In  the  first  instance,  it  is  proposed  to  put  down  two 
three-feet  pipes,  which  will  probably  be  sufficient  to  supply  the  city  for  at  least  fifty  years  ; 
but  to  adapt  the  work  to  receive  two  four-feet  pipe,  which  will  be  sufficient  when  the  full 


CROTON    AaUEDUCT. 


165 


capacity  of  the  aqueduct  shall  be  required.     As  there  will  be  only  a  head  of  about  15  feet, 
no  difficulty  will  be  experienced  in  the  use  of  pipes  of  this  dimension. 

To  guard  more  effectually  against  the  influence  of  frost,  the  parapet  walls  are  de- 
signed to  be  hollow.  The  same  arrangement  for  influent  and  effluent  gate  houses,  also 
for  waste  cocks,  that  was  proposed  for  the  low  bridge,  will  be  required  in  this. 

The  plans  herewith  submitted,  though  not,  in  all  their  details,  entirely  complete,  it  is 
believed,  with  the  foregoing  description,  will  explain  fully  to  the  Board  the  character  of 
the  plan  under  consideration. 


Estimated  Expense  of  the  Aqueduct  Bridge. 

'2,000  cubic  yards  of  excavation  of  earth  for  foundations  on  shores, 

at  16  cents 

200  cubic  yards  of  excavation  of  rock  for  foundations  on  shore,  at  $3 
7  coffer  dams,  including  pumping,  excavation  of  pits,  and  earth 

filling,  as  per  detailed  estimate  in   report  of  December, 

1837,  at  $13,000  -  $91,000 

Add  for  extra  excavation  of  mud,  and  extra  sheeting  of 

frame  13,000 


500  tracing  piles,  for  foundations  of  land  piers  not  on  rock,  at  $5 
1,700  cubic  yards  of  concrete  masonry,  at  $6 
10,600  cubic  yards  of  masonry  in  large  piers,  at  $20 
3,800  cul^ic  yards  of  masonry  in  small  piers,  at  $15 


490  cubic  yards  of  water  table  and  cornice  on  piers,  at  $30 
3,020  cubic  yards  of  large  arches,  at  $30 
1,020  cubic  yards  of  small  arches,  at  $25 


1,060  cubic  yards  of  pilasters,  at  $15 

3,150  cubic  yards  of  exterior  spandrils,  at  $13     - 

3,650  cubic" yards  of  interior  spandrils,  and  hance  walls,  at 


250  cubic  yards  of  flagging,  to  connect  hance  walls,  at 


1,300  cubic  yards  of  parapet  walls,  at  $12 

520  cubic  yards  of  brick  walls  and  wells,  at  $12 

250  cubic  yards  of  coping  on  parapets,  at  $30 


4,400  cubic  yards  of  foundation  walls  at  ends,  at  $2 
400  cubic  yards  of  side  wall  on  do.  at  $6     - 


42 


$       320 
600 


$104,000 


212,000 
57,000 


90,600 
25,500 


40,950 
21,900 


2,000 


15,600 
6,240 
7,500 


8,800 
2,400 


$104,920 

2,500 

10,200 


269,000 
14,700 


116,100 
15,900 


62,850 
64,850 

29,340 
11,200 


166  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

6,500  cubic  yards  of  earth  filling  over  pipes,  at  40  cents     -  2,600 

350  superficial  yards  turfing,  at  30  cents       -  105 

2,705 
1,000,000  ft.  board  measure,  pine  timber  arid  plank  for  centering  and 

scaffolding,  at  $35    -  35,000 

300,000  ft.  board  measure,  oak  timber  and  plank  for  centering  and 

scaffolding,  at  $45  -  13,500 

48,500 

580  tons  cast  iron  pipe,  at  $75  43,500 

Lead,  yarn,  tallow,  and  laying  down,  estimated  9,000 

2  pipe  chambers,  as  per  estimate  detailed  in  report  December,  1837,  -       15,642 
Waste  cocks,  as  per  report  December,  1837,      -  2,500 

70,642 


$760,557 
Add  for  contingencies  10  per  cent.        76,056 

$836,613 

Tunnel  under  the  Channel  of  the  River. 

By  the  Act  before  mentioned,  it  is  required  that  the  top  of  the  work  put  down  for  the 
tunnel,  shall  not  be  above  the  bed  of  the  river  in  the  channel ;  and  it  is  understood  as  re- 
quiring the  tunnel  to  extend  entirely  across  the  channel,  which  at  the  line  of  aqueduct  is 
300  feet  wide.  The  bed  of  the  river  is  about  18  feet  below  common  high  water  mark.  The 
channel  is  not  this  depth  for  its  whole  width,  but  slopes  very  flat  on  the  sides.  The  out- 
line of  the  plan,  is  to  make  a  tunnel  of  masonry,  of  sufficient  dimensions  to  allow  four  iron 
pipes,  each  three  feet  diameter  to  be  laid  within  it.  The  tunnel  to  be  made  of  two  sec- 
tions, or  of  two  arched  vaults,  laid  close  to  each  other,  and  each  sufficient  for  two  pipes. 
The  tunnel  to  terminate  at  each  end,  in  abutments  of  masonry,  having  such  slopes  and 
curves  as  will  afford  the  most  favorable  flow  of  water,  that  the  situation  will  permit.  A 
horizontal  vault  in  each  section  will  carry  any  water  that  may  gather  in  the  tunnel,  to  the 
vertical  welts  in  the  abutments,  where  it  may  be  cleared  by  pumps.  The  tunnel  at 
each  end  will  open  in  the  top  of  the  abutments,  and  thence  the  iron  pipe  will  pass  from  the 
tunnel,  rising  to  a  suitable  level  above  the  river,  and  enter  the  embankment  by  which  it 
will  be  covered.  To  protect  the  pipes  from  frost  and  provide  for  convenient  entrance  into 
the  tunnel,  a  house  is  to  be  erected  over  this  opening. 

It  is  proposed  to  make  the  tunnel,  by  first  excavating  the  mud  which  forms  the  bed 
of  the  river,  by  means  of  a  dredging  machine,  so  as  to  allow  a  frame  for  a  coffer  dam  to 
be  sunk  on  the  sand  which  underlies  the  mud.  After  the  mud  has  been  removed,  a 
frame  for  a  coffer  dam  is  to  be  sunk,  embracing  the  area  of  tunnel  and  abutments.  The 
coffer  dam  being  required  to  be  about  400  feet  long  and  40  feet  wide,  it  is  obvious  it  would 
be  extremely  difficult,  if  not  impracticable,  to  make  this  frame  on  land  and  launch  it,  as 
is  proposed  to  be  done  for  the  comparatively  small  coffers  required  for  single  piers.  It  is 
therefore  proposed  to  construct  a  float  of  timbers,  and  securely  anchor  it  at  the  position 
for  the  coffer  dam,  and  erect  the  frame  in  horizontal  sections,  until  the  work  may  itself  be 


CROTONAGIUEDUCT.  167 

sufficiently  strong  to  bear  anchoring,  when  the  float  timbers  may  be  loosened  and  removed 
from 'the  same.  The  frame  to  be  then  completed  in  such  sections  as  will  be  most  conve- 
nient for  the  work.  After  the  frame  is  sunk  to  its  place  and  well  secured,  the  driving  of 
the  sheet-piling,  filling  in  with  water-tight  earth,  and,  in  general,  all  other  work,  will  be 
similar  to  that  proposed  for  coffer  dams  for  the  piers  ;  with  such  additional  security  as  its 
larger  dimensions  demand.  The  coffer  dam  being  completed,  it  is  proposed  to  erect  two 
fifty  horse  power  steam  engines,  with  suitable  pumps,  to  clear  the  pit  from  water.  The 
sand  and  rock  within  the  coffer  dam  will  then  be  excavated  to  the  proper  level  of  founda- 
tion of  the  masonry  ;  in  the  progress  of  which  the  bottom  of  the  coffer,  below  the  frame, 
will  require  to  be  secured  by  suitable  prop  or  stay  timbers. 

MASONRY. — It  is  proposed  to  lay  down  a  foundation  course  of  concrete,  formed  to 
receive  an  inverted  arch  of  brick,  from  which  will  rise  curved  walls  to  form  abutments  for 
the  upper  arches  of  the  tunnel,  all  of  which  will  be  of  brick  masonry  supported  by  con- 
crete, and  the  exterior  protected  on  the  sides  by  well  set  stone,  and  the  top  by  a  covering 
of  well  jointed  coping. 

The  iron  pipes  are  proposed  to  be  of  metal,  1  3-8  inches  in  thickness,  for  the  part 
that  passes  the  tunnel,  and  1^  inches  until  they  extend  to  a  point  40  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  river.  Branch  pipes  and  waste  cocks  will  be  required  in  the  main  pipe,  above  the 
high  water  mark  of  the  river,  as  a  means  to  force  out  the  sediment  that  may  be  deposited 
in  the  bottom  of  the  pipe.  This  means  of  clearing  the  pipes  would  probably  be  sufficient, 
if  the  waste  pipes  could  be  placed  in,  and  discharge  freely  from  the  bottom  of  the  bend  ; 
but  as  the  cocks  must  be  about  32  feet  above  the  iowest  part  of  the  bend,  and  about  300 
feet  in  line  of  pipe  from  the  commencement  of  the  lowest  part,  there  is  doubt  whether  the 
sediment  would  be  raised  by  the  current  that  could  be  given  through  the  depression.  On 
the  first  opening  of  the  stop  cock,  with  the  pipe  full,  there  would  be  a  powerful  rush  of 
water ;  but  it  must  be  kept  in  view,  that  this  force  would  only  be  of  momentary,  or  of 
very  short,  duration  ;  as  the  quantity  discharged  under  this  great  head,  would  exhaust 
the  head  of  the  pipe  much  more  rapidly  than  it  could  be  supplied  from  the  influent  cham- 
ber, when  the  action  in  entering  the  pipe  would  be  under  comparatively  a  very  small 
head.  It  is  therefore  obvious,  the  discharge  at  the  cock  would  very  shortly  be  reduced  to 
the  quantity  that  could  enter  the  pipe  from  the  pipe  chamber.  To  provide,  therefore,  for 
removing  sediment  that  may  not  be  carried  out  by  the  force  of  current,  discharging  from 
the  stop  cocks,  it  is  proposed  to  put  in  the  pipes,  at  convenient  distances,  man  hole  plates, 
by  which  the  pipes  may  be  entered  and  cleared  by  manual  labor. 

When  it  is  considered  how  difficult  it  is,  under  ordinary  advantages,  to  construct  ma- 
sonry so  as  to  be  perfectly  impervious  to  water,  we  cannot  expect  this  tunnel,  which  must 
be  constructed  under  circumstances  peculiarly  unfavorable,  and  exposed  to  a  head  of  18 
feet,  resting  on  the  bare  walls,  will  be  sufficient  to  exclude  all  water  ;  some  will  undoubt- 
edly percolate  through,  and  find  its  way  into  the  tunnel.  This  water  being  salt,  must  be 
carefully  kept  from  the  pipes,  or  it  would  soon  corrode  and  destroy  them.  It  is  therefore 
proposed  to  place  the  pipes  on  seats  that  will  keep  them  clear  from  the  walls  of  the  tun- 
nel, and  protect  the  top  by  a  roof  that  will  turn  off  any  water  that  might  fall  from  the 
roofing  arch,  and  thus  allow  the  whole  to  settle  in  the  bottom  of  the  tunnel,  and  be 
drained  by  the  vaults  that  connect  with  the  pump  wells,  where  suitable  pumps  must  be 
erected  to  raise  and  discharge  it  from  the  same. 

The  duty  of  preparing  an  estimate  for  this  tunnel  is  obviously  a  difficult  one,  and  to 
a  great  extent  must  be  viewed  as  mere  conjecture.  The  comparatively  small  coffer  dams 
required  for  the  piers,  are  a  work  in  which  much  embarrassment  and  difficulty  must  be 


168  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

expected  in  the  execution,  and  uncertainty  in  regard  to  the  estimated  expense  ;  and  but 
few  cases  are  known  of  equal  difficulty.  These,  however,  only  enclose  about  one-tenth 
the  area  required  for  the  coffer  dam  which  is  necessary  for  the  tunnel.  It  is  believed  no 
experience  exists  in  placing  such  a  coifer,  or  one  of  one-quarter  the  size  or  difficulty,  con- 
sequently we  cannot  have  the  light  of  experience  to  any  very  satisfactory  extent.  These 
remarks  are  made,  not  because  I  consider  the  work  impracticable,  but  as  one  of  great  dif- 
ficulty, the  estimate  for  which  must  be  considered  as  subject  to  much  contingency  and 
consequent  uncertainty  in  amount.  The  estimate  has  been  prepared  with  much  care, 
all  I  believe  that  can  be  useful,  and  is  submitted  as  my  best  judgment  on  a  work,  not  ca- 
pable of  being  reduced  to  ordinary  accuracy  in  anticipating  its  cost. 

Had  we  been  permitted  to  restrict  the  channel  of  the  river  to  100  feet  in  width  and 
8  feet  in  depth  at  low  water,  which  would  probably  have  been  an  ample  provision  for  all 
navigation  that  it  is  necessary  to  provide  for,  the  plan  of  passing  the  aqueduct  by  means 
of  a  tunnel,  would  have  been  divested  of  a  large  portion  of  the  difficulty  and  expense,  and 
could  have  been  entered  upon  with  far  greater  certainty  in  relation  to  time,  and  expense 
of  construction ;  but  this  we  are  not  permitted  to  do. 

In  difficulty  and  expense  of  construction,  the  Thames  Tunnel,  at  London,  has  more 
similarity  than  any  other  work  of  which  I  have  any  knowledge ;  though  it  is  a  work  of 
greater  difficulty,  and  in  some  respects  decidedly  so,  than  the  proposed  Harlem  Tunnel. 

The  history  of  this  work  is,  however,  such  as  to  admonish  us  of  the  uncertainty  in 
estimating  for  work  done  under  a  heavy  pressure  of  water.  It  was  commenced  in  1825, 
and  then  estimated  to  cost  160,000  pounds  sterling.  November  2,  1837,  12  years  after 
its  commencement,  there  had  been  expended  264,000  pounds,  and  it  \vas  then  estimated 
to  require  an  additional  sum  of  350,000  pounds  to  complete  it,  which, .  if  correct,  will 
make  the  final  cost  614,000  pounds,  or  near  four  times  the  original  estimate.  As  before 
observed,  we  are  not  to  consider  the  two  cases  as  parallel,  though  there  is  a  degree  of 
similarity,  which  very  naturally  excites  attention  when  looking  for  some  guide  in  the  ex- 
pense of  other  work. 


Estimated  Expense  of  Harlem  Tunnel. 

11,000  cubic  yards  earth  excavation  on  shores,  at  14  cents,  $  1,540 

2,000  cubic  yards  rock  excavation  on  shores,  at  $1  50,  3,000 

24,000  cubic  yards  excavation  of  mud  in  river,  at    1,-  24,000 

3.000  cubic  yards  excavation  of  sand  in  river,  at     1,       -  3.000 

4,000  cubic  yards  excavation  of  rock  in  river,  at     5,  -  20,000 

Coffer  Dam. 

240,000  feet,  board  measure,  white  oak  timber,  at  $35,    -  -      $  8,400 

700,000  feet  board  measure,  white  pine  timber,  at     20,  -                  -  ,  14,000 

380,000  feet,  board  measure,  yellow  pine  timber,  at    30,  -  11,400 

10,000  lineal  feet  round  piling,  at  20  cents,  -      2,000 

$35,800 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT. 


169 


133,610 


20,000  pounds  wrought  iron  bolts,  straps  and  spikes,  at  12  cents  -         -  $2,400 

Pin  timber  and  treenails  250 

Carpenter  and  other  work,  framing,  sinking,  and  securing  frame          -  30,000 

Driving  2,000  feet  lineal  of  sheet  piling,  at  $2  4,000 

Driving  320  round  piles  at  $3    -  960 

380,000  cubic  yards  earth  filling  and  embanking  coffer,  at  40  cents  -  15,200 

Estimated  cost  of  pumps,  steam  engines,  and  working,  (very  uncertain)  30,000 

Removing  frame,  piling,  earth  of  dam  from  the  channel — estimated  15,000 

1,800  cubic  yards  brick  masonry,  at  $18                                                   -  32,400 
8,000  cubic  yards  stone  masonry  and  concrete,  in  abutments  and  tun- 
nel, at  $10                                                                                            -  80,000 
460  cubic  yards  coping  and  side  facing  of  tunnel,  at  $30  -  13,800 
2  entrance  houses  on  abutments                                                               -  2,000 

6,500  cubic  yards  stone  embankment  in  river,  between  abutments  and 

shores,  at  $2                                                                                          -  13,000 

3,000  cubic  yards  foundation  and  protection  wall,  at  $2  50     -  7,500 

700  tons  iron  pipes,  delivered,  at  $75                                              -         -  52,500 

Lead,  yarn,  tallow,  and  work  putting  down  3,100  feet,  at  $4    -  12,400 

13,000  cubic  yards  earth  covering,  at  20  cents    -                                    -  2,600 

2  pipe  chambers,  as  per  detailed  estimate  of  December,  1837    -  15,642 

Waste  cocks  and  man  hole  plates                                                              -  7,500 

90,642 

$424,492 
Add  for  contingencies,  50  per  cent.     212,246 


128,200 


20,500 


$636,738 


Aggregate  estimate  for  bridge,    - 
Aggregate  estimate  for  tunnel, 


-    $836,613  00 
636,738  00 


Difference  in  favor  of  tunnel,    $199,875  00 

The  items  of  which  the  estimate  for  the  bridge  is  made,  are  for  the  greatest  part  of  a 
character  that  give  confidence  in  its  being  a  fair  approximation  to  the  actual  cost.  The  hy- 
draulic foundations  are  the  principal  exception.  In  relation  to  the  tunnel,  the  greatest  part 
is  peculiarly  uncertain  ;  and  it  would  not  be  surprising  if  unforseen  difficulties  should  oc- 
cur in  its  construction,  that  would  materially  reduce  the  difference  that  appears  in  the 
estimates. 

In  regard  to  the  comparative  maintenance  of  the  work,  the  tunnel  plan  will  require  a 
pumping  apparatus  to  be  kept  in  constant  operation,  to  clear  the  tunnel  from  water  that 
may  percolate  through  the  masonry,  The  extent  and  expense  of  this  will  depend  on  the 
success  that  may  be  obtained  in  rendering  the  masonry  impervious.  The  pipes  will  be 
exposed  to  deterioration  from  accidental  contact  with  salt  water,  and  from  an  atmosphere 
somewhat  affected  by  its  contact  and  contiguity  with  the  same. 

The  pipes  on  the  bridge  will  be  enclosed  in  earth,  be  free  from  these  contingencies, 
43 


170  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

and  consequently  have  greater  durability.  The  work  of  repairs,  or  removal  of  the  tun- 
nel pipes,  will  be  attended  with  greater  difficulty  and  expense  than  those  on  the  bridge. 
The  Avaste  cocks  for  the  tunnel  pipe,  being  32  feet  above  the  lower  part  of  the  bend,  ren- 
dering it  probable  the  sediment  must  be  removed,  to  a  great  extent,  by  manual  labor, 
through  the  man  holes,  will  make  the  clearing  of  the  pipes  much  more  difficult  and  ex- 
pensive than  the  bridge  pipe.  The  supervision  and  care,  necessary  to  keep  the  tunnel 
pipe  in  good  condition  and  guard  against  sudden  failure,  will  be  much  greater  than  re- 
quired for  the  bridsre  pipe.  In  regard  to  the  masonry,  a  defect  or  failure  in  either  plan 
would  be  very  difficult  and  expensive  to  remedy ;  and  we  should  not  anticipate  any,  or 
rather  the  work  should  be  so  well  guarded  as  to  leave  no  apprehension  of  such  a 
result. 

Well  completed,  the  bridge,  in  the  simplicity  and  economy  of  its  operation,  and  its 
architectural  appearance,  would,  no  doubt,  be  the  most  satisfactory  structure. 

In  the  foregoing  estimates  and  remarks,  I  have  endeavored  to  call  your  attention  to  all 
the  essential  circumstances  and  considerations  that  have  a  bearing  in  deciding  on  the  plan 
most  appropriate  to  be  adopted.  The  question  is  one  of  great  importance,  and  surround- 
ed with  embarrassing  difficulties,  which  in  some  respects  are  of  a  nature  that  do  not  ad- 
mit of  exact,  or  even  hardly  approximate,  computation. 

In  relation  to  the  time  required  for  the  completion,  I  think  five  years  as  little,  as 
should  be  calculated  for  the  bridge ;  while  the  tunnel,  if  successful  in  putting 
down  the  coffer  dam,  may  be  completed  in  four  years.  It  is  not  probable  that  either  plan 
can  be  executed  as  early  as  other  parts  of  the  aqueduct ;  and  it  will  be  proper  to  lay 
down  a  temporary  pipe,  which  may  be  sufficient  for  the  introduction  of  the  water  ;  as  for 
the  want  of  suitable  fixtures,  some  time  will  probably  elapse,  after  its  first  introduction, 
before  it  will  get  into  general  use  in  the  city.  A  twenty-two  inch  main  may  be  laid  down 
and  protected  for  $30,000,  and  when  the  work  is  completed  may  be  taken  up  and  used  to 
supply  the  city  mains,  by  which  the  extra  expense  will  not  be  much,  if  any,  over 
$20,000. 

In  making  up  an  opinion  which  of  the  two  plans  should  be  adopted,  I  have  felt  the 
question  to  be  one  involving  great  responsibility.  The  high  bridge  I  have  heretofore  en- 
deavored to  avoid,  as  a  work  of  great  expense,  and  attended  with  much  difficulty  in  its 
execution.  From  the  considerations  before  detailed,  I  have  however  come  to  the  conclu- 
sion, that  under  the  modification  now  presented,  it  is  better  to  adopt  it,  than  the  plan  of 
carrying  the  aqueduct  by  a  tunnel  under  the  river.  Could  I  have  the  same  confidence  in 
the  estimate  for  the  tunnel  that  I  have  in  the  bridge,  I  should  have  less  in  coming  to  this 
conclusion  than  I  now  feel  ;  for  although  the  tunnel  estimate  includes  all  that  appears 
tangible,  with  an  apparent  liberality  for  all  contingencies,  still  we  know  experience  in 
similar  work,  much  more  limited  in  extent,  proves  how  difficult  it  is  to  anticipate  all  the 
circumstances  that  will  swell  the  cost  of  construction.  If  we  have  not  calculated  much 
more  accurately  for  this  work,  than  was  originally  done  for  the  Thames  Tunnel,  we  shall 
find  our  contingent  allowance  much  too  low.  This,  together  with  the  consideration,  that 
the  supervision  and  maintenance  of  the  pipe  on  the  bridge,  will  be  more  simple  and  less 
expensive,  and  consequently  more  satisfactory  than  that  in  the  tunnel,  have  induced  me 
to  give  the  preference  to  the  bridge. 

By  a  resolution  of  your  Board,  subsequent  to  the  one  before  mentioned,  my  atten- 
tion is  called  to  a  suggestion  for  a  wooden  bridge,  resting  on  timber  piers,  sunk  in  the 
river,  and  filled  with  stone  to  high  water,  on  which  to  erect  wooden  piers,  to  be  connect- 
ed by  arches  of  the  same  material.  To  this  has  been  added  a  verbal  suggestion  of  your 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT.  171 

Chairman,  to  carry  up  stone  piers  above  the  water,  and  then  erect  the  wooden  structure 
upon  them. 

Timber  piers  in  the  river  could  not  be  expected  to  last  more  than  ten  or  twelve 
years,  which  would  be  quite  temporary  for  such  a  work.  The  least  that  could  reasonably 
be  done,  would  be  to  raise  the  piers  to  such  a  height  above  the  water  as  would  be  conve- 
nient to  support  the  timber  work.  In  my  judgment,  no  calculation  should  be  made,  short 
of  carrying  the  piers  to  the  proper  height  for  the  spring  arches  of  masonry,  which  they 
should  be  designed  ultimately  to  support. 

The  estimate  for  masonry  above  the  spring  line  of  arches,  is  224,540  dollars.  A 
timber  arch  and  trunk  sufficient  for  two  and  a  half  feet  pipes,  which  would  be  sufficient 
to  supply  the  city  with  water  for  twenty  years,  could  be  erected  and  covered  for  about 
75,000  dollars,  which  is  about  150,000  dollars  less  than  estimated  to  complete  the  work 
of  masonry.  Such  a  bridge  would  last,  if  the  cover  was  kept  in  good  repair,  probably 
30  years.  It  is  quite  practicable  to  raise  timber  work  to  support  the  superstructure  from 
near  the  water's  edge  ;  but  when  it  is  considered  that  important  bridges  for  travelled 
roads,  are  usually  supported  by  piers  of  stone,  and  aqueducts  for  canals  almost  invariably 
so,  we  could  not,  I  think,  do  less  than  give  that  degree  of  permanence  and  durability 
which  would  be  obtained  by  carrying  up  the  piers  as  above  suggested. 

In  relation  to  the  practicability  and  the  diminished  expense  of  erecting  a  timber  arch, 
to  support  a  trunk  for  the  water  pipes,  there  can  be  no  question.  At  the  same  time  there 
are  objections  to  a  timber  structure,  that  should  not  be  lost  sight  of.  The  decay  that  will 
be  effected  by  the  action  of  time  on  the  timber,  may  not  be  sufficiently  manifest  in  its  exter- 
nal appearance,  to  give  seasonable  warning  of  its  weakening  influence  on  the  structure, 
and  (as  is  sometimes  the  case  with  wooden  aqueducts  on  canals,)  it  will  be  liable  to  go 
down  suddenly,  and  thus  cause  a  breach  in  the  aqueduct  that  will  be  difficult  to  repair  in 
time  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  city. 

The  work  may  be  destroyed  by  fire,  as  was  the  case  with  one  of  the  Schuylkill 
bridges  at  Philadelphia.  Its  great  elevation  will  expose  it  to  severe  storms  of  wind, 
which,  as  it  grows  weak  from  age,  may  at  a  time  not  expected,  force  it  from  the  piers,  or 
so  derange  its  joints  as  to  render  it  incapable  of  supporting  the  aqueduct.  All  other  work 
constructing  on  the  line  has  been  designed  with  a  view  to  the  greatest  durability,  and  to 
guard  as  much  as  possible  against  the  necessity  for  repairs,  and  especially  such  as  would 
materially  jeopardise  the  regular  flow  of  water  in  the  aqueduct.  To  adopt  a  wooden 
structure  at  the  most  important  point,  in  regard  to  its  magnitude  and  expense,  would 
certainly  be  a  great  departure  from  all  other  work  on  the  line  of  aqueduct ;  and  to  the 
undersigned  it  does  not  appear  expedient,  for  the  difference  that  may  be  saved  in  the  first 
instance,  to  change  the  character  of  the  work  by  adopting  a  wooden  structure  at  this  place. 

Should  the  Board  be  of  opinion,  that  either  the  tunnel  plan,  or  the  wooden  arch 
bridge,  would  be  the  most  suitable  for  them  to  adopt,  I  shall  feel  no  hesitation  in  going 
forward,  with  every  effort  in  my  power,  to  produce  a  successful  accomplishment.  It  is, 
however,  my  opinion,  as  before  expressed,  that  under  all  the  circumstances,  the  aqueduct 
bridge  of  masonry  with  iron  pipes  for  the  conduit,  is  the  most  suitable  structure  to  be 
adopted  ;  and  should  the  Board  coincide  with  this  opinion,  I  have  no  doubt,  that  when 
completed,  it  will  be  viewed  as  the  most  satisfactory  work. 

Respectfully  submitted. 

JOHN  B.  JERVIS, 

Chief  Engineer,  N.  Y.  W.  W. 


172  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

The  Commissioners,  for  all  sufficient  reasons,  preferred  the  high  bridge  to  the  tunnel, 
and  without  having  in  any  degree  changed  their  own  views,  as  to  the  superiority  of  the 
syphon  bridge  to  either,  they  issued  a  notice  on  15th  June  for  building  a  bridge  of  ma- 
sonry, in  conformity  with  the  specifications  exhibited. 

Meantime  the  general  work  on  the  line  went  forward  "  with  full  as  much  speed," 
say  the  Commissioners,  "  as  is  desirable  under  present  circumstances  ;"  they  add,  "  had 
the  Commissioners,  however,  been  left  to  pursue  the  original  plan  of  the  work,  there  can 
scarcely  be  a  doubt  that  the  Croton  water  would  have  been  flowing  through  our  streets, 
and  regaling  both  the  taste  and  sight  of  our  citizens,  on,  if  not  before,  the  4th  July, 
1842." 

The  summary  of  the  work  for  the  first  six  months  of  1839,  is  thus  given  : 

1st.  THE  AQUEDUCT. — The  whole  length  of  aqueduct,  arched  complete,  is  77,587 
feet,  running  measure,  or  about  14  miles  and  two-thirds.  That  completed  on  the  first  of 
January  last,  as  per  our  semi-annual  report  of  that  date,  was  59,169  feet,  or  11  miles  and 
one-fifth.  The  increase  in  this  part  of  the  work,  since  our  last  report,  is  18,418  feet,  or 
about  three  and  a  half  miles  in  length. 

2d.  SIDE  WALL. — The  length  of  side  wall  ready  to  receive  the  brick  facing  and 
arches,  was,  at  our  last  report,  1~443  feet.  It  now  amounts  to  17,535  feet,  making  an 
increase  in  this  description  of  the  work,  of  16,092  feet,  in  six  months. 

3d.  CULVERTS. — There  are  92  culverts  now  complete  and  in  use,  leading  off  the 
water  of  the  several  streams  at  which  they  are  the  conduits.  Their  length  in  the  aggre- 
gate is  6,240  feet.  The  number  completed  at  our  last  report  was  seventy-nine,  and  their 
length  5,476  feet.  There  is,  therefore,  an  increase  of  13  in  the  number  of  culyerts  built 
since  our  last  report. 

4th.  TUNNELS. — The  number  of  tunnels  excavated  through  their  whole  length,  is 
jive,  and  in  the  aggregate,  are  1,197  feet  long.  Only  three  were  completed  at  our  last 
report,  of  667  feet  in  length,  which  shows  an  increase  of  two  tunnels  completed,  530  feet 
in  length.  There  are  in  progress  of  completion,  besides  the  above,  six  tunnels,  which 
have  been  excavated  in  the  aggregate,  1,809  feet,  making  the  aggregate  of  tunnelling,  up 
to  the  25th  of  June  last,  3,00(3  feet,  and  of  masonry  in  the  tunnefs,  of  1,707  feet,  being  an 
increase  since  our  last  report,  of  1,152  feet. 

5th.  FOUNDATION  AND  PROTECTION  WALLS. — The  foundation  wall  laid,  is  91.980 
cubic  yards,  and  protection  wall,  74,270,  making  a  total  of  166,250  cubic  yards.  The 
quantity  of  this  description  of  work  performed  at  our  last  report  was  95,027  cubic  yards, 
which  shows  an  increase,  for  the  last  six  months,  of  71,221  cubic  yards  of  foundation  and 
protection  wall. 

6th.  VENTILATORS  AND  WASTE  WEIRS. — These  necessary  and  ornamental  struc- 
tures, will  be  placed  at  equal  distances  along  the  whole  line.  ,  Six  of  them  are  now  com- 
plete, and  seven  in  progress.  They  are  built  of  marble,  or  a  light  colored  stone,  from  14 
to  20  feet  in  height,  rising  up  in  the  form  of  a  pyramid,  and  may  answer  to  point  out  to 
strangers,  the  line  of  the  aqueduct,  as  well  as  vents,  through  which  the  collected  air  may 
discharge  itself. 


CROTON    ACIUEDUCT.  173 

There  is,  in  addition  to  the  above,  a  vast  amount  of  labor  which  cannot  be  well 
described,  except  by  extending  this  report  to  an  inconvenient  length  —  such  as  the  rock 
and  earth  excavation,  the  stone  quarried  and  dressed,  the  vast  embankments  thrown  up  in 
the  numerous  valleys  and  ravines,  over  which  the  aqueduct  has  to  pass,  with  the  neces- 
sary machinery  and  tools  prepared  for  carrying  on  the  operations. 

Some  important  and  expensive  structures,  however,  which  are  not  included  in  the 
sketch  given  above,  ought  not  to  be  omitted,  although  the  description  must  be  very  brief 
and  imperfect.  Take  for  example  the  following  : 

1st.  An  archway  over  a  street,  in  the  village  of  Sing  Sing,  of  20  feet  span,  and  14 
feet  in  height. 

2d.  The  aqueduct  bridge  over  the  Sing  Sing  Kill  a  considerable  run  of  water,  pos- 
sessing several  mill  privileges.  The  arch  of  this  bridge  is  88  feet  span,  and  about  70  feet 
in  height  from  the  bed  of  the  creek.  The  centres  for  turning  this  large  arch,  have  been 
up  for  some  time  past,  and  thirty  courses  of  the  arch  stone  laid.  The  aqueduct  proceeds 
from  the  Sing  Sing  tunnel,  crossing  both  the  aforesaid  street  and  creek,  from  north  to 
south. 

3d.  An  archway  over  the  Highland  turnpike,  now  highway,  about  eleven  miles 
below  the  Croton  dam,  of  20  feet  span,  and  14  feet  in  height. 

4th.  The  large  culvert  on  Mill  River,  requiring  an  arch  of  25  feet  span,  and  170  feet 
in  length,  situated  about  thirteen  miles  below  the  Croton  dam.  The  depression  of  the 
valley  through  which  this  stream  passes,  is  72  feet  below  grade,  and  the  height  of  the 
foundation  wall,  including  the  aqueduct,  reaches  to  87  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  river. 

5th.  A  very  expensive  archway,  forming  a  carriage  way  under  the  aqueduct,  at 
Jewell's  Brook,  about  seventeen  miles  from  the  Croton  dam,  of  14  feet  span,  and  125  feet 
in  length.  The  foundation  wall  at  this  place  is  50  feet  in  height  to  grade,  and  62  feet  to 
the  top  filling  of  the  aqueduct. 

6th.  An  aqueduct  bridge  over  the  railroad  at  Harvey's  marble  quarry,  of  16  feet  span, 
and  10  feet  in  height. 

7th.  An  archway  over  the  road  at  Saw  Mill  River,  of  16  feet  span,  and  14  feet  in 
height. 

8th.  The  large  double  culvert  on  Saw  Mill  River,  with  arches  of  25  feet  span  each 
and  82  feet  in  length.  The  river  is  42  feet  below  grade,  and  to  the  top  of  the  aqueduct, 
56  feet.  The  two  last  structures  are  connected,  the  aqueduct  passing  over  both  of  them, 
in  its  course  to  the  city 

These  important  pieces  of  workmanship,  are  composed  of  the  first  quality  of  building 
stone,  hammer  dressed,  and  well  bedded  together.  They  are  a  credit  to  the  skill  of  the 
mechanic,  as  well  as  to  the  architect,  and  are  now  nearly  complete,  the  arches  of  all  of 
them  being  closed,  except  at  Sing  Sing  Kill,  and  Saw  Mill  River,  both  of  which  will  be 
closed  before  the  termination  of  the  present  working  season. 

The  Corporation,  on  their  part,  continued  preparations  for  the  distribution  of  the 
water.    The  following  resolution,  adopted  by  both  Boards,  was  approved  by  the  Mayor 
on  the  17th  of  April : 
44 


174  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

Resolved,  That  a  line  of  water  pipes  be  laid  through  Christopher-street,  from  Hud- 
son-street to  Sixth  avenue  ;  also,  through  Clarkson-street,  from  Hudson  to  Varick-street, 
through  Varick  to  Hammersley,  through  Hammersley  to  intersect  with  pipes  already  laid 
in  Houston-street,  also  through  Houston-street  from  Hudson-street  to  Greenwich-lane,  and 
through  Greenwich-lane  to  the  Sixth  avenue,  and  that  the  Water  Purveyor  be  authorised, 
under  the  direction  of  the  Joint  Committee  on  Fire  and  Water,  to  advertise  for  estimates 
for  the  necessary  pipes  and  fixtures,  to  lay  the  same  agreeably  to  the  Water  Commissiorir 
ers'  map. 

In  order,  moreover,  to  comfirm  confidence  in  stocks  issued  for  the  Water  Stock,  they 
adopted  this  resolution  in  June : 

EXTRACT  OF  A  LAW  OF  THE  CORPORATION,  ENTITLED  "  A  LAW  PROVIDING  FOR 
THE  REDEMPTION  OF  THE  CITY  STOCK." 

§  2.  All  revenue  to  be  received  for  water,  to  be  procured  by  the  works  for  supplying 
the  city  of  New  York  with  pure  and  wholesome  water,  and  furnished  to  the  inhabitants 
of  said  city,  is  especially  pledged  and  appropriated  as  a  Sinking  Fund  towards  .the 
redemption  of  "  The  Water  Stock  of  the  City  of  New  York." 

Approved  by  the  Mayor,  June  19,  1839. 

During  the  next  six  months,  until  31st  December,  the  contractors  seem  to  have 
pressed  forward  their  work  with  undiminished  zeal,  having  in  their  employment,  on  an 
average,  from  3000  to  4000  men.  The  expenditures  during  the  year,  reached  the  great 
amount  of  $2,300,438,  and  at  the  close  of  it  the  following  results  appeared  : 

1st.  The  Aqueduct. — The  whole  length  of  aqueduct,  arched  complete,  is  137,630 
feet,  running  measure,  or  about  26  miles.  That  complete  on  the  1st  of  July  last,  as  per 
our  semi-annual  report  of  that  date,  was  77,587  feet,  or  about  14  and  two-thirds  miles. 
The  increase  in  this  part  of  the  work,  since  our  last  report,  is  60,043  feet,  or  about  eleven 
and  one-third  miles. 

2d.  Culverts.. — There  are  now  114  culverts  complete  and  in  use,  for  discharging  the 
water  of  the  several  streams  on  which  they  are  erected.  Their  length,  in  the  aggregate, 
is  7542  feet.  The  number  completed  at  our  last  report  was  92,  and  their  length  6240 
feet.  There  is  therefore  an  increase  of  twenty-two  culverts,  since  the  first  of  July  last. 

3d.  Tunnels. — The  number  of  tunnels  excavated  through  their  whole  length,  is 
seven,  and  they  are,  in  the  aggregate,  2068  feet  in  length.  There  were  five  completed 
at  our  last  report,  of  1195  feet  in  length,  which  shows  an  increase  of  two  tunnels  com- 
pleted, of  873  feet  in  length.  There  are  besides  the  above,  nine  tunnels  in  the  progress 
of  completion,  that  have  been  excavated  in  the  aggregate,  2133  feet,  making  the  total  of 
tunnelling  up  to  the  25th  of  December,  4201  feet,  alnd  of  masonry  on  the  aqueduct,  with- 
in the  tunnels,  2476  feet,  being  an  increase,  during  the  last  six  months,  of  1964  feet  in 
length. 

4th.  Foundation  and  Protection    Wall — The  foundation  wall  now  laid,  amounts 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT.  175 

to  115,210  cubic  yards,  and  the  protection  wall  to  114,384,  making  a  total  of  229,594 
cubic  yards  of  dry  wall,  which  shows  an  increase,  during  the  last  six  months,  of  63,344 
cubic  yards  of  wall. 

5th.  Ventilators  and  Waste  Weirs, — There  are  24  of  these  necessary  structures  now 
finished  complete.  A  large  portion  of  them  are  intended  as  ventilators  to  discharge  the 
superabundant  air  collected  in  the  aqueduct,  and  a  few  of  them  are  fitted  for  waste  weirs, 
for  discharging  the  water  from  the  aqueduct,  if  at  any  time  repairs  should  be  required,  or 
any  other  cause  make  it  necessary.  There  were  six  complete  on  the  first  of  July  last, 
making  an  increase  of  eighteen  in  this  description  of  the  work.  Besides  the  foregoing, 
there  has  been  a  great  deal  of  work  performed,  which  cannot  be  described  with  the  neces- 
sary degree  of  accuracy  and  plainness  to  make  it  understood,  such  as  earth  and  rock  ex- 
cavation, which  has  been  performed  before  the  grade  of  the  aqueduct  could  be  reached ; 
embankment  and  backfilling,  performed  after  the  aqueduct  is  in  form,  &c. 

There  is  still  about  six  and  a  half  miles  of  aqueduct  to  complete,  in  the  county 
of  Westchester,  and  about  seven  and  a  half  miles  of  aqueduct  and  pipe  work,  on  the 
island  of  New  York,  making  the  length  of  the  unfinished  work,  about  fourteen  miles. 

This  was  a  very  trying  year  for  financial  arrangements  ;  nevertheless,  the  city  conti- 
nued to  face  all  its  engagements  with  punctuality,  and  to  meet  the  great  expenditure  on 
account  of  the  aqueduct ;  and  the  Commissioners,  although  not  charged  with  any  agency  in 
raising  the  money  needed  for  the  work,  nevertheless  express  their  clear  conviction  that  it 
would  be  better  to  pay  higher  interest,  if  necessary,  for  the  amount  required  for  the  next 
year,  than  to  incur  the  loss  of  interest,  the  claims  of  damages  from  contractors,  and  the 
unavoidable  injury  to  the  unfinished  works,  that  would  result  from  a  suspension. 

The  Commissioners  at  the  same  time  estimate  the  wants  of  the  year  1840,  at 

$2,100,000. 

The  high  bridge  was  contracted  for  in  August,  1839,  at  $737,755,  conditioned  that  it 
should  be  completed  in  August,  1843.  Meantime,  it  will  have  been  perceived  in  the 
report  of  Mr.  Jervis,  that  he  suggested  as  a  temporary  expedient,  the  laying  down  pipes 
along  the  coffer  dam  in  the  river,  through  which  the  Croton  water  might  be  conducted  to 
the  New  York  shore.  The  Commissioners  repeat  this  suggestion  without  expressing  an 
opinion  concerning  it,  but  in  referring  to  the  rapid  execution  of  the  general  work  they  say 
"  there  is  hardly  a  doubt  that  the  whole  line  from  the  Croton  to  the  Harlem,  will  be 
finished,  some  years,  before  the  expensive  and  difficult  work  over  the  latter  river  can  be." 

Much,  however,  and  of  very  difficult  and  expensive  construction,  remained  to  be  done 
on  the  island  of  New  York.  Independently  of  the  stupendous  works  at  the  Harlem  river, 
scarcely  yet  commenced,  there  were  the  expensive  crossings  at  Manhattanville,  and  at  the 
Clendening  valley,  besides  the  two  reservoirs,  on  all  of  which,  as  yet,  but  little  progress 
had  been  made.  Indeed,  so  heavy  and  so  costly  was  the  work  on  the  island,  that  it  alone, 


176  MEMOIROFTHE 

extending  through  only  seven  miles,  was  estimated  to  cost  more  than  three  millions  of 
dollars,  about  two  thirds  of  the  original  estimates  by  Major  Douglas  and  Mr.  Martineau, 
for  the  whole  work. 

These  two  engineers,  without  consultation  or  co-operation,  made  separate  estimates 
in  1835.  That  of  Major  Douglas,  was  for  $4,786,637  00,  that  of  Mr.  Martineau,  for 
$4,225,814  00.  The  difference  arose  from  the  mode  of  passing  the  Harlem,  which,  by 
Mr.  Douglas's  plan  was  on  a  high  bridge,  and  Mr.  Martineau's  by  inverted  syphons,  on 
a  low  bridge. 

With  such  apparent  agreement,  the  Commissioners  were  well  foun  ded  in  assuming 
that  Jive  millions  would  certainly  accomplish  the  work,  yet  the  result  has  proved  the  es- 
timates in  question,  to  be  entirely  delusive.  This  may  be  explained,  without  impeaching 
the  sagacity  or  accuracy  of  those  engineer,  by  the  facts,  that  they  had  no  actual  experi- 
ence derived  from  the  price  at  which  contracts  would  be  taken — that  the  difference  in  the 
cost  of  land  from  that  which  it  bore  in  1835,  and  that  afterwards  placed  on  it  by  speculators 
and  interested  persons,  was  beyond  calculation — and  that  the  prices  of  work  and  materials 
were  largely  enhanced  between  1835  and  1837.  "The  whole  project,  in  fact,"  say  the  Com- 
missioners, "  was  entirely  new,  and  perhaps  without  precedent  as  to  cost,  and  therefore  it 
o%ht  not  to  be  considered  as  a  want  of  talent,  that  mistakes  were  made  in  estimating  the 
expense." 

In  confirmation  of  these  views,  and  of  the  great  liability  to  error  in  estimates  for  un- 
dertakings of  such  a  nature  and  extent,  the  reader  will  recall  the  fact  stated  in  the  Prelimi- 
*  nary  Essay,  that  almost  all  the  estimates  for  the  various  water  works  of  London,  fell  vastly 
short  of  the  actual  cost. 

On  the  27th  of  December,  1837,  after  he  had  placed  thirteen  sections  of  the  first 
division  under  contract,  and  therefore  with  some  practical  experience  of  the  value  of  such 
work,  Mr.  Jervis  made  an  estimate  of  the  cost,  so  far  as  the  engineering  was  concerned, 
of  the  whole  line,  which  amounted  to  $7,877,346  00 

This  was  exclusive  of  the  cost  of  land,  salaries,  and  other  expenses,  which 

the  Commissioners  themselves  estimated  at  586,567  00 


$8,464,033  00 

For  the  additional  cost  of  the  high  bridge,  443,432  00 

$8,907,465  00 

Nine  millions  therefore,  may  be  assumed  as  the  cost  of  the  aqueduct,  over  and  above 
the  loss  of  interest  on  the  capital,  until  the  work  be  finished  and  productive. 


CROTON    AQUEDUCT.  177 

This  report  closes  with  a  general  recapitulation  of  the  work  done,  of  the  difficulties 
overcome,  and  of  the  nature,  form,  and  materials  of  the  aqueduct,  all  which  we  propose  to 
present  in  a  connected  form,  after  the  narrative  of  the  progress  of  the  work  is  com- 
pleted. 

On  the  30th  March,  1840,  the  Commissioners,  who,  from  the  commencement  of  this 
great  enterprise,  had  directed  and  superintended  its  progress,  having  been  superseded, 
made  a  final  report  to  the  Board  of  Aldermen.  This  sets  forth  the  precise  condition  of 
the  funds  which  they  had  received,  of  which  the  details,  with  accompanying  vouchers, 
were  communicated  to  the  Comptroller,  and  the  balance  in  hand  paid  over  to  their  suc- 
cessors ;  it  gives  information  of  the  exact  condition  of  the  work,  and  of  what  had  been  done 
since  January,  and  finally  adds  the  satisfactory  statement  that  the  whole  line  of  aqueduct 
had  then  recently  been  examined  by  the  chief  engineer,  who  reported  very  slight  injury 
from  a  very  inclement  winter. 

Having  surmounted  many  and  great  difficulties  in  the  execution  of  their  trust,  having 
disbursed  nearly  four  and  a  half  million  dollars,  without  the  error  of  a  cent  in  account 
with  the  Comptroller,  with  the  whole  of  the  land  required  for  the  aqueduct  in  peaceable 
possession,  with  the  contracts  for  the  entire  works  made,  and  a  large  portion  of  them  com- 
pleted— the  Commissioners  handed  over  the  trust  to  their  successors,  whose  path  was  so 
comparatively  plain  and  easy. 

Their  report  thus  concludes : 

The  late  Commissioners  are  free  to  confess,  that  they  feel  a  deep  interest  in  the  success 
of  the  work,  and  would  have  been  pleased,  had  circumstances  permitted,  to  have  continued 
their  superintendence  until  its  completion.  They  hope,  however,  that  it  will  be  prose- 
cuted by  their  successors,  in  a  manner  creditable  to  themselves  and  beneficial  to  the  public. 
We  leave  with  them  our  efficient  and  highly  esteemed  chief  engineer,  John  B.  Jervis, 
Esquire,  for  whose  services  in  the  successful  prosecution  of  the  work,  the  public  are  greatly 
indebted.  The  industry  and  ability  with  which  he  has  conducted  this  great  enterprise, 
will  carry  his  name  to  future  time,  let  who  will  be  charged  with  its  completion.  We  cannot 
forbear  expressing  the  hope,  therefore,  that  our  successors  will  avail  themselves  of  the  tal- 
ents and  acquired  knowledge  of  Mr.  Jervis,  for  the  further  prosecution  of  a  work  of  so 
much  importance  to .  this  city.  The  advantages  in  retaining  his  services,  and  also  of  his 
present  assistants,  must  be  obvious  ;  as  the  information  they  possess,  relative  to  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  contracts  are  to  be  fulfilled  and  executed,  of  the  materials  to  be  used,  of 
the  plans  and  specifications  in  explanation  of  the  several  parts  of  the  work  to  be  performed, 
and  of  numerous  other  matters  connected  with  it,  will  be,  in  our  opinion,  of  the  first  impor- 
tance to  those  who  are  to  have  the  supervision  of  its  progress,  and  an  efficient  aid  in  the 
substantial  construction  of  the  work.  This  information  cannot  be  possessed  by  any,  be 
their  abilities  what  they  may,  without  the  practical  knowledge  which  is  only  acquired  by 
years  of  attention  and  familiarity  with  the  subject. 

The  Commissioners  claim  no  further  merit  for  themselves,  in  conducting  this  impor- 
45 


178  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

tant  concern  thus  far,  than  what  is  fairly  due  for  a  devotion  to  the  duties  enjoined  on  them 
by  the  tenor  of  their  office,  and  for  the  faithful  disbursement  of  the  large  sums  placed  in 
their  hands  by  the  Corporation  officer  charged  with  that  duty. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

STEPHEN  ALLEN, 
WILLIAM  W.  FOX, 


w  . 

CHARLES  DUSENBERRY,  .  n.ater 

SAUL  ALLEY,  Commissioners. 

THOMAS  T.  WOODRUFF, 
New  York,  March  25,  1840. 

It  would  be  eminently  unjust,  in  parting  with  these  Commissioners,  to  withhold  from 
them  the  praise  of  having  faithfully,  intelligently,  and  assiduously  fulfilled  the  trust 
which  they  had  held  for  so  many  years.  The  Chairman  of  the  Board  in  particular, 
Stephen  Allen,  has  left  upon  the  work,  from  its  commencement  to  the  advanced  stage  in 
which  he  relinquished  it  to  his  successor,  the  stamp  of  his  energetic  character  and  strong 
and  inquiring  mind. 

The  new  Commissioners,  Messrs.  Samuel  Stevens,  Benj.  Birdsall,  John  D.  Ward  and 
Samuel  B.  Childs,  immediately  entered  upon  their  duty,  and  with  great  fitness,  Mr. 
Stevens,  who  from  so  early,  and  through  so  long  a  period  had  labored  for  the  introduc- 
tion of  pure  and  wholesome  water  into  the  city,  was  named  the  Chairman.  Their  first 
want  was  money,  which,  upon  application  to  the  Legislature  by  the  Common  Council, 
that  body  was,  by  law  of  27th  April,  authorised  to  raise  to  the  extent  of  three  million  dol- 
lars, at  an  interest  not  exceeding  six  per  cent.,  and  for  a  period  not  exceeding  thirty  years. 
The  following  provisions  of  the  law  restrict  the  use  of  the  funds  thus  to  be  raised,  and 
looked  well  to  the  security  of  the  lender. 

§  4.  All  the  provisions  of  the  laws  heretofore  passed  on  the  subject  of  the  Croton 
Water  Works,  pledging  the  faith  of  the  city  of  New  York,  providing  a  sinking  fund  for 
the  redemption  of  the  stock  issued  by  virtue  thereof,  are  hereby  made  applicable  to  the 
stock  issued  in  pursuance  of  this  act. 

§  5.  No  part  of  the  fund  created  by  this  act,  or  any  other  fund  raised  for  the  pur- 
pose of  constructing  or  completing-  the  Croton  Aqueduct,  and  the  works  connected  there- 
with, and  distributing  the  water  throughout  the  city,  shall  be  diverted  from  such  object  ; 
and  no  item  of  expenditure  hereafter  to  be  made  by  the  Corporation  of  the  city  of  New 
York,  and  not  approved  by  the  Water  Commissioners  and  Comptroller  of  said  city,  shall 
be  charged  by  the  Corporation  of  the  said  city  to  the  debit  of  the  said  fund  ;  but  this  pro- 
vision shall  not  apply  to  the  refunding  of  advances  heretofore  made  by  the  said  Corpora- 
tion, for  or  on  account  of  the  said  aqueduct,  or  the  water  pipes  connected  therewith. 

At  the  same  session  the  Legislature  remedied  the  injustice  which  had  been  attempted 
in  some  of  the  towns  of  Westchester,  through  which  the  aqueduct  passed,  of  taxing  it 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT.  179 

as  personal  property.  The  law  of  7th  May,  restricted  the  assessors  to  taxing  the  lands 
in  Westchester  county  occupied  or  used  for  the  aqueduct,  only  upon  their  value,  exclusive 
of  the  works. 

The  Common  Council  lost  no  time  in  passing  an  ordinance  authorising  the  Comp- 
troller to  issue  stock  for  this  new  loan,  and  on  21st  May  they  constituted,  by  resolution,  a 
Committee  on  the  Croton  Aqueduct,  to  be  composed  of  a  joint  special  committee  of  both 
Boards.  To  this  Committee  were  to  be  referred  all  matters  relating  to  the  aqueduct, 
except  the  sale  and  disposal  of  stock  and  other  duties  ordinarily  belonging  to  the  Finance 
Committee. 

The  new  Commissioners  retained  the  corps  of  engineers  as  they  found  it,  with  the 
very  capable  chief  at  its  head,  and  the  work  made  rapid  progress  during  the  year. 

The  first  report  in  January,  1841,  and  embracing  the  period  from  20th  March,  to 
December  31st,  gives  this  summary  of  what  was  done. 

Present  state  of   the    Work. 

It  will  be  recollected  that  the  whole  work  is  divided  into  four  great  divisions,  and 
which  collectively,  are  divided  into  one  hundred  and  one  sections,  generally  one  half 
of  a  mile  in  length. 

The  First  Division,  which  embraces  the  Croton  Dam,  Croton  River,  and  first 
10  177-1000  miles  adjoining  the  same,  may  be  said  to  be  completed.  The  dam  requires  an 
expenditure  of  about  one  thousand  dollars  to  complete  the  contract.  The  bridge  across 
the  Croton  River,  which  was  made  in  lieu  of  the  one  overflown  by  the  water  of  the 
river,  and  the  portion  of  the  turnpike  also  required  to  be  made,  are  both  done,  as  well  as 
the  private  road  adjacent  to  the  river,  and  it  is  expected  the  Commissioners  appointed  by 
the  State  to  judge  of  this  matter,  will  receive  the  bridge  and  roads,  as  a  full  substitute  for 
those  which  our  works  rendered  useless.  There  is  an  iron  railing  and  gatekeeper's  house, 
with  some  other  small  contingencies,  which  are  estimated  at  four  thousand  dollars,  to 
complete  all  the  work  at  and  near  the  dam. 

The  dam  across  the  Croton  River  was  commenced  in  January,  1838,  and  is  now  all 
but  completed.  It  is  believed  to  be  durable  in  its  character,  and  possessed  of  sufficient 
strength  to  resist  the  Croton,  which  is,  however,  a  stream  occasionally  rendered  by 
freshets,  very  powerful  and  turbulent. 

The  dam  is  formed  of  hydraulic  stone  masonry,  connected  with  an  earthen  embank- 
ment. The  embankment  is  about  250  feet  long,  65  feet  high  at  its  extreme  height,  250 
feet  wide  at  base,  and  55  wide  at  top.  This  embankment  is  supported  and  protected  on 
its  lower  side  by  a  heavy  protection  wall  20  feet  wide  at  base. 

The  portion  of  the  dam  over  which  the  water  flows,  together  with  the 
abutment  and  bulkhead  adjacent,  is  of  hydraulic  stone  masonry ;  their  united  length  is 
105  feet.  The  width  of  the  sheet  of  water  flowing  over  the  dam  is  90  feet,  and  it  is  sup- 
posed in  times  of  a  freshet  will  be  from  four  to  six  feet  deep  ;  it  has  already  in  the  last 
autumn  been  equal  to  three  feet.  The  area  of  the  Croton  Lake  is  about  400  acres,  the 
available  capacity  of  the  lake  taken  at  seven  feet  deep,  (the  depth  to  which  the  water  can 


180  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

be  drawn  down,)  and  of  an  average  area  of  more  than  300  acres,  may  be  stated  at  600 
millions  of  gallons. 

The  total  capacity  of  delivery  of  the  aqueduct  is  about  50  millions  of  gallons  for 
24  hours,  but  in  case  the  lake  is  being  reduced  seven  feet,  by  a  discharge  through  the 
aqueduct,  not  more  than  35  millions  can  be  calculated  on  as  the  average  delivery  during 
that  time. 

The  flow  of  the  Croton  in  ordinary  low  water  exceeds  50  millions  for  24  hours,  and 
the  minimum  flow  after  long  continued  drought  has  been  ascertained  to  exceed  25 
millions,  consequently,  assuming  the  Croton  at  its  lowest  rate  of  flow,  there  would  elapse 
60  days  before  the  lake  would  be  reduced  seven  feet,  and  60  days  before  the  delivery  of 
the  aqueduct  would  fall  below  35  millions  of  gallons  in  24  hours. 

In  addition  to  this  abundant  supply,  the  water  of  the  river  at  various  parts  for  the  dis- 
tance of  15  or  20  miles  could  be  dammed  up,  at  a  small  expense,  and  large  ponds  made 
to  discharge  into  the  Croton,  which  would  always  furnish  a  supply  far  beyond  the  capa- 
city of  the  aqueduct  to  discharge  ;  and  the  singular  fact  also  exists,  that  a  stream  called 
the  Ten  Mile  River,  of  very  considerable  supply  of  water,  which  now  discharges  into 
Long  Island  Sound,  might  be  diverted  or  made  to  pass  into  the  Croton.  This  fact  is 
mentioned  for  its  singularity,  rather  than  from  its  being  of  any  importance  to  the  work. 
The  lake,  formed  by  the  dam,  flows  already  over  some  lands  not  embraced  by  the  deeds 
or  rights  obtained  by  our  predecessors ;  and  when  it  is  considered  that  it  is  liable  to  rise 
three  feet  higher  than  it  has  yet  been,  it  will  be  perceived  that  the  extent  of  our  water  line 
must  be  considerably  increased ;  but  as  the  surface  of  the  lands  subject  to  be  overflown 
beyond  the  Corporation  title,  is  mainly  of  inconsiderable  value,  the  damages  will  be 
small. 

The  beautiful  sheet  of  water  now  formed  by  the  dam,  the  Board  have  called  the  Cro- 
ton River  Lake,  as  readily  distinguishing  it  from  the  entirely  artificial  reservoirs.  The 
highest  point  of  land  on  the  eastern  side  of  it,  in  a  late  visit  with  the  Corporation  to  the 
Croton  River  Lake,  was  named  "  Mount  Varian,"  in  honor  of  our  worthy  Chief  Magis- 
trate, during  whose  mayoralty  the  works  at  the  Croton  River  have  been  commenced  and 
completed. 

Second  Division,  commencing  at  the  southern  termination  of  the  first  division  (about 
three  miles  south  of  Sing  Sing)  and  running  10  732-1000  miles  to  the  village  of  Hastings, 
is  also  entirely  completed,  if  we  except  about  140  yards  in  length  at  the  Mill  River  Val- 
ley, which  is  a  high  stone  wall  and  embankment  designed  to  support  the  aqueduct,  and 
to  complete  which  requires  about  20,000  dollars. 

Third  Division,  which  commences  at  the  southern  termination  of  the  second  divi- 
sion, near  Hastings,  and  runs  in -a  southerly  direction  9  669-1000  miles,  to  within  about 
two  miles  of  the  Harlem  River.  This  division  is  all  completed,  and  the  final  payments 
on  the  contracts  are  liquidated. 

Fourth  Division,  commencing  at  section  80,  terminating  the  third  division,  and 
running  to  the  Battery  in  the  First  Ward  of  the  City  of  New  York,  distance  in  all  four- 
teen miles.  Of  this  division,  sections  80,  81,  82,  83,  84  to  85,  in  length  about  two  miles, 
are  in  Westchester  County,  and  are  entirely  completed. 

The  whole  distance  in  Westchester  County,  all  of  which  is  nearly  completed,  is  32 
miles  and  two-thirds  of  aqueduct,  the  arch  bridge  of  88  feet  span  at  Sing  Sing,  12  tun- 
nels (or  under  ground  excavations  for  the  aqueduct,)  whose  aggregate  length  amounts  to 


CROTON    AaUEDUCT.  181 

4406  feet,  32  ventilators  for  the  escape  of  the  air  from  the  tunnel,  and  four  waste  weirs, 
for  the  discharge  of  the  surplus  water  from  the  aqueduct. 

The  Harlem  River  Bridge. 

After  leaving  the  sections  of  the  fourth  division  in  Westchester  County,  we  arrive  at 
section  86,  which  includes  the  crossing  of  the  Harlem  River,  and  here  we  have  been 
engaged  with  the  high  bridge.  We  should  be  happy  to  be  enabled  to  state,  that  this 
structure  could  proceed  as  rapidly  as  the  remaining  part  of  the  work,  and  would  be  as 
soon  completed. 

This  bridge,  it  will  be  recollected,  is,  by  the  plan,  to  be  supported  by  seven  land 
arches,  each  of  50  feet  span,  on  the  valley  between  the  river  and  the  adjacent  hills,  and 
over  the  river  by  eight  arches  of  80  feet  span  each,  the  crown  of  the  intrados  of  the 
arches  is  100  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  the  height  of  the  superstructure 
near  120  feet.  We  have  sunk  four  coffer  dams  in  the  river  for  the  river  piers,  and  built 
the  foundations  of  two  piers  to  above  high  water  mark,  and  another  is  about  four  feet 
above  the  foundation.  The  amount  of  money  spent  on  the  Harlem  Bridge,  for  the  work 
and  materials  not  yet  used,  amounts  to  $91,100. 

Leaving  the  Harlem  River,  as  you  approach  the  city,  we  have  section  87  of  the  aque 
duct,  which  includes  a  small  tunnel  through  rock,  completed  or  nearly  so ;  88,  89  and  90 
are  in  a  great  state  of  forwardness ;  when  you  arrive  at  section  91,  which  includes  the 
crossing  of  Manhattan  Valley.  This  section  is  a  mile  in  length,  and  one  of  the  heaviest 
on  the  line  ;  it  consists  of  800  feet  of  tunnel  cut  through  rock,  and  about  three-fourths  of 
a  mile  of  grading  for  two  lines  of  iron  pipes  of  36  inches  diameter.  This  last  section  is 
about  one  half  completed,  and  will  easily  be  completed  the  next  fall.  We  then  arrive  at 
section  92,  which  is  nearly  completed,  with  the  exception  of  the  tunnel,  which  is  420  feet 
long,  through  rock,  120  feet  of  which  is  excavated.  The  next  section,  No.  93,  is  com- 
pleted, and  the  account  settled.  Section  No.  94  crosses  the  Clendening  Valley,  and  em- 
braces a  very  heavy  stone  foundation  wall  and  three  arches,  or  aqueduct  bridges,  for  con- 
templated streets.  This  section  is  about  three  eighths  of  a  mile  long,  is  about  two-thirds 
finished,  and  the  contract  for  completion  expires  next  fall.  Section  95  is  also  about  two- 
thirds  completed.  No.  96  embraces  the  receiving  reservoir,  which  covers  a  surface  of 
thirty-two  acres,  at  Eighty-sixth-street,  and  is  about  one-half  completed ;  the  contract  ex- 
pires next  fall.  Sections  97  and  98,  together  two  miles  in  length,  are  to  be  constructed 
by  laying  down  two  lines  of  iron  pipes  of  thirty-six  inches  interior  diameter,  which  are 
to  form  the  connexion  between  the  two  reservoirs  ;  about  one-fourth  of  this  work  is  done. 
We  then  come  to  section  99,  which  is  composed  of  the  distributing  reservoir,  which  work 
is  about  one-half  completed.  In  reference  to  this  work  it  is  greatly  to  be  regretted  that 
Forty-second-street  should  have  been  reduced  to  so  low  a  grade,  which  has  increased  very 
greatly  the  cost  of  the  walls,  without  adding  in  any  respect  to  the  utility  or  beauty  of  the 
work.  This  location  being  higher  than  any  of  the  adjoining  lands,  it  is  not  obvious  why 
your  predecessors  required  it  to  be  cut  down  at  so  great  an  expense  to  the  city,  and  dis- 
advantage to  the  reservoir,  as  it  required  the  walls  on  Forty-second-street  to  be  sunk 
nearly  twelve  feet  lower,  and  on  the  sides,  fronting  the  Fifth  avenue  and  Fortieth-street, 
an  average  of  eight  feet  lower  than  would  otherwise  have  been  required. 

The  remaining  work,  south  of  the  distributing  reservoir,  consists  in  laying  down  the 
large  mains  to  supply  the  lower  parts  of  the  city  with  water,  and  the  small  pipes  to  distri- 
bute it  through  the  streets,  the  progress  of  which  is  known  to  your  honorable  bodies. 

46 


182  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

During  the  last  fall,  the  water  was  introduced,  several  times,  from  the  Croton  Lake 
into  the  aqueduct.  For  greater  security  it  is  made  to  pass  through  two  chambers,  each 
having  nine  small  gates,  of  16  inches  by  40  inches,  by  which  any  unusual  velocity, 
growing  out  of  the  variations  in  the  head  of  the  water  in  the  lake,  may  be  controlled  or 
equalised. 

In  the  instances  we  have  referred  to,  the  water  passed  through  the  first  eight  miles  of 
the  aqueduct,  to  a  waste  weir  at  Sing  Sing,  where  it  was  discharged  in  six  hours.  This 
strengthens  the  opinion,  that  it  will  certainly  pass  through  the  whole  line,  as  fast  as  at  the 
rate  of  one  mile  per  hour,  which  is  the  rate  calculated  on. 

The  frequent  use  of  the  thermometer  has  shown  that  the  temperature  of  the  aque- 
duct was  fifty  degrees,  in  our  coldest  days  previous  to  the  1st  of  January.  This  proves 
that  neither  the  water  nor  the  masonry  of  the  arch  will  be  exposed  to  frost.  The  varia- 
tion of  temperature  between  summer  and  winter  is  found  to  be  only  five  degrees. 

We  have  only  excavated  the  rock  and  earth  between  the  two  reservoirs  of  a  width 
sufficient  for  two,  instead  of  three  lines  of  large  pipes,  which  will  furnish  a  sufficient  sup- 
ply for  at  least  half  a  century.  The  saving  in  this  particular  amounts  to  10,000  dollars. 

We  were  not  able  to  make  any  arrangement  with  the  contractors  for  the  receiving 
reservoir  at  Yorkville,  by  which  we  could  abandon,  for  the  present,  the  construction  of  the 
northern  division  of  this  work,  as  proposed  by  us,  with  any  advantage  to  the  public ;  so 
much  work  having  been  already  executed,  and  so  much  of  the  earth  being  required  for 
the  embankments  of  the  streets  surrounding  the  reservoir  and  the  southern  division,  that 
we  were  obliged  to  let  this  reservoir  proceed,  as  contemplated  by  our  predecessors  ;  except, 
that  we  do  not  excavate  the  rock,  as  was  previously  intended,  by  which  there  is  a  saving, 
as  estimated,  of  75,000  dollars. 

We  have  added  to  the  expense  of  the  distributing  reservoir  about  $9,000,  in  conse- 
quence of  having  adopted  a  different  finish  from  that  contemplated  by  our  predecessors. 
With  the  exceptions  above  stated,  and  the  abandonment  of  the  three  arched  bridges  at 
Clendening  Valley,  the  work  has  in  all  other  respects  been  progressing  agreeably  to  the 
plans  of  our  predecessors  in  office. 

The  project  of  dispensing  with  some  of  the  arches  over  Clendening  Valley,  was  ap- 
proved by  the  Common  Council,  but  vetoed  by  the  Mayor,  Mr.  Varian,  on  the  ground  that 
it  would  close  streets,  which,  according  to  the  map  of  the  city,  were  at  some  future  period 
to  be  opened  in  the  direction  of  the  arches  to  be  dispensed  with.  The  Commissioners,  in 
the  report  under  consideration,  examine  at  length  and  in  detail,  the  objections  of  the  Mayor, 
which  they  thought  might  all  be  obviated — even  admitting,  which  they  do  not,  that  the 
lines  traced  on  the  map  of  the  city  as  future  streets,  thereby  became  in  law  and  fact  streets, 
by  running  a  street  parallel  with  the  aqueduct,  at  which  these  future  streets  would  termi- 
nate, and  along  which  the  travel  might  pass  a  short  distance  till  the  occurrence  of  an  arch, 
of  which  three  were  still  to  remain. 

Neither  Board  of  the  Common  Council  took  into  consideration  this  veto  of  the  Mayor, 
and  the  Commissioners,  deeming  that  the  responsibility  for  the  work  and  its  construction, 
was  legally  with  themselves,  persisted  in  their  plan  of  dispensing  with  the  three  arches, 


CROTONAQ.UEDUCT.  183 

thereby  saving  an  expenditure  of  $52,000,  subject  to  the  deduction  of  $4500  only,  for 
damages  paid  to  the  contractors  for  the  change  of  plan. 

The  high  bridge  over  the  Harlem  River,  reappears  in  this  report,  as  a  difficult,  costly, 
and  not  necessary  work — and  inasmuch  as  the  plan  agreed  upon  by  the  former  Commis- 
sioners, was  not  to  continue  the  grade  line  of  the  aqueduct,  but  to  descend  on  the  West- 
chester  side  some  14  feet  with  the  water  in  iron  pipes,  and  after  passing  it  over  the  river  in  a 
horizontal  line,  to  raise  it  on  the  New  York  side  within  2i  feet  of  the  elevation  from  which 
it  was  taken  on  the  north  shore,  this  report  recurs  to  the  low  bridge,  as  safer,  much 
cheaper,  and  with  its  centre  arch  of  50  feet  height  from  the  water,  offering  no  obstacle  to 
any  probable  navigation  of  the  Harlem.  The  saving  in  time,  by  this  plan,  would  be  nearly 
two  years ;  the  saving  in  money,  nearly  $200,000.  This  recommendation,  however,  found 
no  favor,  and  as  a  positive  law  of  the  Legislature  enjoined  the  construction  of  the  high 
bridge,  if  any,  the  work  on  that  plan  was  steadily  prosecuted. 

During  the  month  of  April,  some  of  the  laborers  on  the  upper  part  of  the  line  struck 
for  wages,  and  not  content  with  abandoning  work  themselves,  associated  in  large  numbers, 
and  marching  along  the  line,  compelled  those  who  were  willing  to  work  on  at  present  rates, 
to  break  off.  The  efforts  of  the  civil  authorities  to  restrain  the  violence  of  these  lawless 
men,  proved  unavailing ;  and  the  Commissioners  having  communicated  to  the  Mayor  their 
apprehension  of  damage  to  the  work,  a  military  detachment  was  ordered  on  the  line,  at 
whose  appearance  order  was  speedily  restored  and  work  resumed. 

In  the  course  of  this  year  a  difference  of  opinion  arose  between  the  Commissioners 
and  the  Common  Council,  in  relation  to  their  respective  duties  in  laying  the  distributing 
pipes. 

On  the  4th  May,  the  Commissioners  made  a  communication  to  the  Board  of  Alder- 
men, calling  their  attention  to  the  subject  of  laying  down  distributing  pipes  through  the 
city,  and  expressing  their  doubts  whether  committees  of  the  Corporation,  necessarily 
changing  from  year  to  year,  could  execute  the  work  as  properly,  economically,  and  sea- 
sonably, as  a  fixed  department. 

By  the  law  of  28th  April,  authorising  the  additional  loan  of  three  millions,  the  fifth 
section  of  which  is  quoted  in  a  preceding  page,  it  is  expressly  enacted  "  that  no  item  of 
expenditure  should  be  charged  against  the  water  stock  fund,  except  the  same  is  approved 
by  the  Water  Commissioners  and  the  Comptroller."  Under  this  provision,  the  Commis- 
sioners stated  to  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  that  they  felt  constrained  to  call  the  attention  of 
their  engineers  to  the  subject  of  supplying  the  city  with  pipes,  and  laying  them  down. 

"  The  extent  of  the  subject,"  say  the  Commissioners,  "  and  its  importance,  will  be 
readily  perceived,  when  it  has  been  stated  by  our  predecessors,  that  lines  of  pipes,  to  the 


184  MEMOIR    OP    THE 

extent  of  165  miles,  will  be  required,  and  as  early  as  the  spring  of  1842,  according  to  the 
opinions  of  our  predecessors,  from  which  we  see  no  reason  to  dissent.  The  lines  of  pipes 
now  laid  down,  are  in  extent  about  35  miles,  which  are  to  be  mainly  abstracted  from  the 
length  of  line  believed  to  be  required.  Now  by  the  progress  made  the  last  year,  and 
understood  to  be  making  for  the  present  year,  it  would  require  14  or  15  years  to  complete 
the  laying  down  of  the  distributing  pipes,  supposing  the  city  to  remain  stationary." 

Another  objection  to  the  work  being  done  by  committees  of  the  Corporation,  seems 
to  have  been,  that  it  was  by  day's  work,  and  not  by  contract,  and  therefore  less  economi- 
cal. All  the  other  work  on  the  aqueduct  had  been  done  by  contract,  and  it  is  reasonably 
urged  that  the  same  practice  should  be  observed  in  laying  down  the  distributing  pipes. 

The  former  Commissioners  had  so  construed  the  then  existing  laws,  as  to  terminate 
their  duties  and  responsibilities  at  the  distributing  reservoir ;  and  they  had  so  reported  to 
the  Common  Council.  But  this  was  antecedent  to  the  law  of  28th  April. 

The  Commissioners,  after  elucidating  the  grounds  on  which  they  differ  as  to  this  point 
from  their  predecessors,  urgently  pressed  upon  the  Board  of  Aldermen  for  a  decision, 
before  the  new  Board  came  in,  as  the  incumbents  were  familiar  with  the  subject,  and  it 
would  necessarily  require  some  time  for  their  successors  to  become  so. 

No  decision,  however,  was  made.  In  August  an  ordinance  was  adopted,  organising 
the  Croton  Aqueduct  Department,  to  be  composed  — 

1.  Of  the  Croton  Aqueduct  Committee,  being  a  joint  committee  of  three  members 
from  each  Board,  whose  duties  are  thus  defined  : 

§  2.  All  bills  for  expenditures  incurred  in  relation  to  the  said  department,  shall  be 
carefully  examined  by  the  Croton  Aqueduct  Committee,  and,  if  approved,  shall  be  signed 
by  the  respective  Chairman  thereof,  and  paid. 

§  3.  The  Croton  Aqueduct  Committee  are  hereby  vested  with  the  powers  necessary 
for  making  all  contracts  in  relation  to  the  said  department,  and  for  conducting  the  water- 
works, purchasing  materials,  and  distributing  the  water;  provided  always,  that  the 
powers  of  the  said  Committee  shall  not  be  construed  to  interfere  with  those  now  vested 
in  the  Water  Commissioners,  and  that  the  contracts  of  such  Committee  shall  not  exceed 
the  amount  of  the  moneys  which  may,  from  time  to  time,  be  appropriated  for  the  several 
objects  aforesaid  ;  and  the  said  Committee  is  hereby  required  to  make  reports  monthly  to 
the  Common  Council  of  their  proceedings. 

2.  Of  an  Aqueduct    Commissioner,  at  a  salary  of  $1000  per  annum,  to  give  bond  in 
$5000,  and  take  an  oath  faithfully  to  perform  his  duties — which  are  to  superintend  and 
direct  the  aqueduct  department,  to  take  charge  of  all  contracts,  books,  papers,  and  vouch- 
ers of  the  department,  to  file  copies  of  all  contracts  immediately  upon  their  execu- 
tion, in  the  Comptroller's  office,  to  keep  a  complete  record  of  every  transaction  apper- 


AQUEDUCT.  185 

• 

taming  to  the  water  pipes,  and  the  distribution  of  the  water  in  the  city,  showing  the 
cost  of  the  pipes,  whence  obtained,  &c.,  with  a  complete  description,  map,  and  plan  of  all 
the  different  sizes  of  pipes  now  laid  down,  and  to  be  laid,  with  the  exact  dimensions  of 
their  offsets  in  each  street,  and  the  distances  they  are  laid  from  the  sidewalks,  in  order 
that  the  size  of  the  pipes,  and  their  offsets,  with  their  exact  location  may  be  known 
thereby. 

He  is  also,  under  the  direction  of  the  Committee,  to  advertise  for,  and  make  contracts, 
examine  and  certify  bills  for  work,  and  generally  to  perform  such  duty  as  may  be  re- 
quired of  him  by  the  Croton  Aqueduct  Committee.  He  is  also  to  make  a  quarterly  report 
to  the  Common  Council,  of  the  detail  of  every  expenditure  in  the  department,  with  the 
number  of  the  different  sizes  of  water  pipes  and  their  connections,  on  hand  and  under 
contract. 

3.  Of  a  Water  Purveyor,  to  be  subject  to  the  direction  of  the  Committee  and  the 
Commissioner. 

Next  month,  viz :  on  the  24th  September,  the  Common  Council  passed  an  ordi- 
nance, which  summarily  determined,  so  far  as  they  had  the  power,  the  points  at  issue  be- 
tween them  and  the  Water  Commissioners. 

The  first  section  directs  the  Comptroller  to  charge  to  the  Water  Works,  all  the 
requisitions  of  the  Water  Commissioners,  for  or  on  account  of  the  Cr"oton  Water  Works, 
north  of,  and  including,  the  distributing  reservoir,  and  the  requisitions  of  the  Croton 
Aqueduct  Commissioners,  for  or  on  account  of  the  procuring  and  laying  down  water 
pipes  in  the  city  of  New  York,  south  of  the  said  distributing  reservoir. 

The  concluding  sections  are  in  these  emphatic  words : 

§  3.  No  contract  that  may  hereafter  be  entered  into  by  the  Water  Commissioners, 
shall  be  binding  upon  the  Common  Council  until  ratified  by  the  Common  Council. 

§  4.  The  powers  of  the  Water  Commissioners  shall  not  extend  to  the  making  of  any 
contracts  for  materials  or  labor,  to  be  used  or  employed  in  the  city  of  New  York,  or  in 
procuring  and  laying  down  water  pipes  in  said  city,  south  of  the  distributing  reservoir : 
and  they  are  hereby  instructed  not  to  enter  into  any  contract  for  the  procuring  or  laying 
down  mains  and  water  pipes  in  said  city  south  of  said  line  —  this  duty  having  already 
been  invested  in  the  Croton  Aqueduct  Commissioner  and  Croton  Aqueduct  Committees 
of  the  Corporation. 

Approved  by  the  Mayor,  September  24,  1840. 

A  long  and  somewhat  angry  controversy  was  the  result  of  this  ordinance.     It  will 
not  be  either  useful  or  agreeable  to  renew  the  details  of  it  in  these  pages.    We  content 
ourselves,  therefore,  with  a  single  statement  of  the  points  on  which  it  turned. 
47 


136  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

The  Water  Commissioners  maintained  that  the  laws  of  this  State  direct  that  all  the 
moneys  raised  from  the  sale  of  the  Water  Stock,  issued  for  supplying  the  inhabitants 
of  this  city  with  water,  shall  be  expended  "  by  and  under  the  direction  of  the  said  Com- 
missioners." 

That  the  work  thus  entrusted  to  them  embraces  the  full  and  entire  completion  of  the 
original  plan  for  supplying  water  to  this  city  for  the  use  of  its  inhabitants,  and  that  "  the 
plan"  adopted  by  the  Commissioners,  ratified  by  the  Common  Council,  and  approved  of  by 
the  people,  comprehended  as  well  the  necessary  work  for  bringing  the  water  to  the  city, 
as  the  furnishing,  laying  down,  and  fitting  for  use,  the  distributing  pipes  throughout  the 
city. 

The  Water  Commissioners  also  claimed,  that  since  the  passage  of  the  Act  of  April 
27,  1840,  no  item  of  expenditure  made  by  the  Common  Council,  can  be  charged  to  the 
debit  of  the  Water  Fund,  without  their  approval. 

The  Committee  of  the  Common  Council,  the  Comptroller,  and  the  Counsel  to  the 
Corporation,  contended  that  the  original  plan  adopted,  ratified,  and  approved  of,  for  sup- 
plying the  city  of  New  York  with  water  for  the  use  of  its  inhabitants,  terminated  at  Mur- 
ray's Hill,  and  that  the  Water  Commissioners  cannot  therefore,  legally,  construct  or 
superintend,  any  part  of  the  work  south  of  that  point. 

And,  consequently,  the  Common  Council  had  the  exclusive  right  and  power  to  con- 
struct and  complete  all  the  necessary  works  south  of  Murray's  Hill,  including  the  procuring 
and  laying  the  distributing  pipes ;  and  for  this  purpose  can  use  such  portions  of  the  Water 
Fund  as  may  be  requisite,  and  that  the  same  can  be  paid  for  out  of  that  fund,  by  the 
Comptroller,  without  the  approval  of  the  Water  Commissioners. 

After  reports  and  counter  reports,  opinions  of  counsel  and  various  discussions,  the 
Corporation  made  good  their  ground,  and  exercised  the  exclusive  right  of  distributing  the 
water  from  the  reservoir  at  40th  street. 

A  very  serious  loss,  the  first  that  deserves  the  name,  occurred  to  the  work  on  the 
night  of  the  7th  January,  1841,  by  a  great  and  sudden  rise  in  the  water  of  the  Croton, 
and  consequently  of  the  Croton  Lake,  which  carried  away  the  dam  for  a  distance  of  near 
200  feet.  It  was  the  part  described  as  an  earthen  embankment,  with  a  base  of  250  feet, 
and  protected  on  the  lower  side  by  a  dry  stone  wall  of  20  feet  thickness  at  the  base.  The 
mason  work  was  but  slightly  injured.  The  storm  and  its  effects  are  thus  described  by 
the  Commissioners  : 

"  This  unprecedented  rain  storm  commenced  on  Tuesday  evening,  the  5th  instant, 
and  continued  without  cessation  until  Thursday  night,  the  7th  instant,  at  12  o'clock. 
The  commencement  of  the  rain  storm  found  the  ground  covered  with  snow  eighteen 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT. 

inches  deep.  The  rain  was  heavy  and  the  temperature  of  the  weather  very  warm. 
On  the  evening  previous  to  the  disaster,  it  was  perceived  that  the  water  was  rising  on  the 
bank  above  the  overfall  of  the  dam,  very  fast.  The  rise  continued  through  the  night  to 
be  equal  to  about  14  inches  per  hour.  At  half  past  4  o'clock,  the  water  having  risen  15 
feet  above  the  overfall  or  apron  of  the  dam,  and  two  or  three  above  the  earthen  embank- 
ment, (which  was  12  feet  above  the  overfall,)  the  embankment  part  of  the  dam  gave  way. 
It  was  obvious  from  the  beginning,  that  if  the  water  passed  over  the  earthen  embank- 
ment, it  would  carry  away  this  part  of  the  dam ;  and  the  result  to  be  expected  imme- 
diately followed.  The  earth  being  washed  away,  the  protection  wall  gave  no  resistance, 
and  the  earth  and  the  heavy  protection  wall  were  all  swept  down  the  river,  so  as  not 
to  have  left  a  single  stone  now  remaining,  on  the  section  of  the  dam  referred  to. 

"  We  have  stated  above,  that  the  calculation  was,  that  the  water  might  rise  from  four 
to  six  feet  above  the  overfall  of  the  dam,  but  instead  of  this,  it  rose  to  about  fifteen,  and  for 
this  rise  the  dam  was  not  calculated ;  the  earthen  embankment  gave  no  protection  against 
such  a  height  of  water ;  and  the  overfall  was  not  of  a  capacity,  although  90  feet  in 
length,  to  discharge  the  water  which  the  flood  brought  down.  There  is  a  small  waste 
gate  in  the  dam  of  five  by  six  feet,  but  hardly  intended  to  relieve  the  river  when  in  flood. 
The  water  in  part  escaped  through  the  aqueduct  passing  over  the  gates,  and  discharging 
itself,  at  a  waste  weir,  near  Mill  River,  a  distance  of  nearly  15  miles,  without  any  injury 
to  the  aqueduct.  It  is  obvious,  that  greater  provision  must  be  made  to  allow  this  stream 
to  pass  in  its  natural  channel  in  time  of  freshets. 

"  In  addition  to  the  above  injury  to  our  works,  the  freshet  has  left  remaining  no  bridge 
over  the  Croton  River  on  its  whole  length,  either  above  or  below  the  dam. 

"  There  were  three  bridges  below,  one  called  Tompkins'  Bridge,  valued  at  1400  dol- 
lars, the  bridge  at  the  Wire  Mill,  cost  1200  dollars,  and  the  Quaker  Bridge  over  which 
the  New  York  and  Albany  stages  pass,  valued  at  1500  dollars.  Tompkins5  Bridge  was 
carried  away  before  the  dam  went,  as  were  also  it  is  believed,  the  other  two  bridges. 

"  Mr.  Albert  Brayton,  the  son  of  one  of  the  dam  contractors,  perceiving  about  one 
o'clock,  the  danger  to  the  people  below  the  dam  on  the  opposite  side,  by  the  continued 
rise  of  the  water  at  the  dam,  and  believing  that  it  must  give  way,  with  praiseworthy 
attention  and  foresight,  hurried  down  to  give  the  alarm,  and  when  he  arrived  at  Tompkins' 
Bridge,  a  distance  of  a  mile,  he  found  the  bridge  gone,  and  was  not  able  to  get  across. 
He  then  went  to  a  house  for  a  horn,  which  he  blew,  and  which  was  heard  by  the  persons 
intended  to  be  alarmed  and  who  lived  on  the  opposite  side  ;  but  not  understanding  it, 
they  took  no  measures  for  their  safety,  until  still  later,  when  the  water  began  to  come 
down  in  torrents.  Two  people  at  Baileys'  Mills  occupied  themselves  so  long  in  remo- 
ving their  property,  that  they  could  not  get  with  safety  to  the  main  land,  and  repaired  to 


MEMOIR    OF    THE 

a  small  clump  of  trees  in  the  channel ;  which,  lamentable  to  say,  were  afterwards  swept 
away,  and  no  doubt  these  two  persons  were  drowned.  One  of  the  laborers,  lately  on  the 
works  was  also  drowned.  No  dwelling  house  above  the  dam  was  carried  away.  John 
Tompkins,  below  the  dam,  lost  his  dwelling  house,  which  was  of  small  value,  say  five  or 
six  hundred  dollars,  and  his  son,  John  Tompkins,  lost  a  grist  mill  and  dam,  value  fifteen 
hundred  or  two  thousand  dollars.  Two  small  dwelling  houses  at  Bailey's  Factory  were 
also  lost.  The  Wire  Mill  of  the  Messrs.  Bailey's,  supposed  to  be  worth,  with  the  two 
small  houses  above,  from  fifteen  to  twenty  thousand  dollars,  was  also  swept  away. 
An  old  grist  mill,  called  Hallman's  Mill,  which  had  been  abandoned,  and  not  worked  for 
many  years,  of  little  value,  was  also  swept  away.  These  are  all  the  losses  which  have 
come  to  our  knowledge  on  the  Crotori  River,  and  all  the  losses  to  everybody  above  and 
below  the  dam,  including  the  dam,  are  considerably  inside  of  $75,000." 

No  other  parts  of  the  aqueduct  were  injured  by  the  storm,  and  the  Commissioners 
conclude  this  their  first  report  with  expressions  of  satisfaction,  that  thus  far  "  the  aque- 
duct on  the  line  stood  remarkably  well,  the  culverts  had  been  sufficient  to  discharge  the 
waters  from  the  valleys  and  streams,  and  the  embankments  had  been  but  little  washed  or 
damaged  by  the  unprecedented  storm." 

The  prevalence  of  heavy  rains  in  the  spring  of  1841,  retarded  the  reconstruction  of 
the  Croton  dam,  which  was  contracted  for  anew,  at  an  increased  price  indeed,  but  of 
larger  dimensions  and  more  durable  materials  ;  and  delayed  operations  on  the  yet  unfinish- 
ed portion  of  the  line. 

The  work  had  been  found  to  withstand,  with  very  little  injury,  the  severe  cold  and 
the  unusual  floods  and  rains  of  the  past  season.  The  beautiful  bridge  at  Sing  Sing  exhi- 
bited not  the  least  settlement  or  defect ;  and,  with  the  exception  of  some  spots  where,  in 
order  to  maintain  the  grade  line  across  low  grounds,  the  aqueduct  rests  on  dry  foundation 
walls,  in  which  slight  settlement  had  occurred,  the  whole  work  stood  admirably. 

In  their  semi-annual  report  of  12th  July,  1841,  the  Commissioners  thus  briefly  report 
the  doings  of  the  six  months : 

The  works  on  this  island,  including  the  reservoirs,  the  mains,  Clendening  Valley 
bridges,  and  the  tunnels,  have  been  progressing  during  the  summer,  although  retarded 
from  the  want  of  punctual  payments.  m 

The  foundation  for  the  bridge  over  the  Harlem  River,  so  far  as  piers  Nos.  7,  8  and  9 
are  concerned,  has  been  laid  in  the  bed  of  the  river,  and  the  sinking  of  the  coffer  dams 
has  been  attended  with  less  difficulty  than  was  apprehended.  In  fact,  the  bed  of  the 
river,  when  cleared  by  the  removal  of  the  sand  and  mud,  and  the  immense  boulders  found 
therein,  has  proved  admirably  calculated  for  the  support  of  the  lofty  and  imposing  struc- 
ture intended  to  rest  upon  it. 


CROTON    AaUEDUCT. 

Commissioners,  contractors,  and  engineers,  all  complained,  during  this  period,  of  the 
inequality  and  delay  in  the  payments  stipulated,  occasioned  partly,  perhaps,  by  the  former 
misunderstanding  between  the  Commissioners  and  the  Common  Council,  as  to  their  rela- 
tive rights  and  duties,  but  mainly  by  the  financial  difficulties  of  the  times,  and  the 
exhaustion  of  the  funds  appropriated. 

To  put  an  end  to  all  difficulties  as  to  contested  rights,  as  well  as  to  provide  the  addi- 
tional means  needed  for  the  completion  of  the  work,  the  Legislature,  on  the  application 
of  the  Common  Council,  passed  a  law  on  the  26th  July,  by  a  two-third  vote,  authorising 
the  Corporation  to  raise  three  and  a  half  millions  more.  We  annex  portions  of  that  law, 
which  is  a  very  important  one,  as  settling  several  material  points  :  1st.  That  of  laying 
a  tax  on  the  citizens  to  pay  the  interest  of  the  water  loan.  2d.  To  limit  the  power  of  the 
Water  Commissioners  over  the  aqueduct  to  its  termination  at  Murray's  Hill.  3d.  To 
authorise  the  Commissioners,  with  the  assent  of  the  Common  Council,  to  change  the 
plan  of  crossing  the  Harlem  on  a  high  bridge,  to  inverted  syphons  and  iron  pipes.  4th. 
To  postpone  the  construction  of  a  reservoir  at  Yorkville ;  and  5th,  to  authorize  the  Com- 
mon Council  to  execute  all  the  work  south  of  Murray's  Hill. 

We  annex  these  sections  : 

§  4.  The  moneys  to  be  raised  by  virtue  of  this  act  shall  be  applied  and  expended  to 
and  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  the  city  with  pure  and  wholesome  water,  according  to 
the  provisions  of  the  act  hereby  amended  ;  and  no  part  of  the  funds  created  by  this  act, 
or  any  other  fund  raised  for  the  purpose  of  constructing  or  completing  the  Croton  Aque- 
duct, and  the  works  connected  therewith,  and  distributing  the  water  through  the  city, 
shall  be  diverted  from  such  object. 

§  5.  All  the  provisions  of  law  heretofore  passed  on  this  subject,  pledging  the  faith  of 
the  city  of  New  York,  and  providing  a  sinking  fund  for  the  redemption  of  the  stock 
issued  by  virtue  thereof,  are  hereby  made  applicable  to  the  stock  issued  in  pursuance  of 
this  act. 

§  6.  It  shall  be  lawful  for  the  Mayor,  Recorder,  and  Aldermen  of  the  city  of  New 
York,  as  the  supervisors  of  the  city  and  county  of  New  York,  of  whom  the  Mayor  or  Re- 
corder shall  be  one,  from  time  to  time,  and  as  often  as  they  may  deem  it  necessary,  to 
order  and  cause  to  be  raised  by  tax  on  the  estates  real  and  personal  of  the  freeholders  and 
inhabitants  of,  and  situated  within,  the  said  city,  and  to  be  collected,  such  amount  of 
money  as  shall  be  requisite  to  defray  the  interest  upon  the  Water  Stock  of  the  city  of 
New  York. 

§  7.  The  said  money  shall  be  assessed  and  collected  in  the  same  manner  as  now  pro- 
vided by  law  for  the  assessment  and  collection  of  taxes  in  the  city  of  New  York. 

§  8.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Water  Commissioners  of  the  city  of  New  York,  to 
finish  and  complete  the  aqueduct  for  supplying  the  said  city  with  water,  down  to  and 
including  the  distributing  reservoir  at  Murray's  hill,  according  to  the  plan  adopted  by  the 
said  Commissioners,  and  ratified  by  the  Common  Council  of  the  said  city,  with  such  im- 

48 


190  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

material  alterations  as  may  be  necessary,  and  as  may  be  agreed  upon  by  the  said  Water 
Commissioners  and  the  said  Common  Council. 

§  9.  The  said  Commisoioners,  by  and  with  the  consent  of  the  said  Common  Council, 
shall  have  full  power  and  authority  to  change  the  plan  of  crossing  the  Harlem  river  with 
arches  and  piers,  and  instead  thereof  to  carry  the  water  across  the  said  river  by  means 
of  inverted  syphons  of  iron  pipes,  until  otherwise  directed  by  the  Legislature,  so  as  not 
unnecessarily  to  interrupt  the  navigation  of  the  said  river.  And  the  said  Commissioners 
are  further  authorised  by  and  with  the  consent  of  the  said  Common  Council,  to  alter  the 
plan  of  constructing  the  reservoir  at  or  near  to  Yorkville,  and  to  complete  so  much  of 
such  reservoir  as  shall  be  deemed  sufficient  for  the  present  purposes  of  such  aqueduct. 

§  10.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Mayor,  Aldermen  and  Commonalty  of  the  city  of 
New  York,  to  execute  all  the  work  necessary  for  supplying  the  said  city  with  water,  and 
for  distributing  the  same  for  the  use  of  the  inhabitants  thereof,  below  the  said  distributing 
reservoir  at  Murray's  hill ;  and  the  said  Mayor,  Aldermen,  and  Commonalty  shall  as- 
sume the  execution  and  performance  of  the  following  contracts,  made  by  the  said  Water 
Commissioners  for  work  and  materials  to  be  supplied  for  the  construction  of  the  said 
aqueduct,  below  the  said  reservoir  at  Murray's  hill ;  that  is  to  say,  their  contract  with 
Henry  V.  B.  Barker,  dated  twentieth  of  October,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  forty, 
for  work  to  be  done  on  the  Fifth  Avenue,  between  Fortieth  and  Twenty-first  streets ; 
their  contract  with  John  B.  Chollar  and  Ebenezer  Jones,  made  the  twenty-third  of  Octo- 
ber, one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  forty,  for  iron  pipe  ;  their  contract  with  S.  V.  Mer- 
rick  and  John  Town,  for  seven  hundred  tons  of  thirty-inch  iron  pipe  ;  and  also  their  con- 
tract with  T.  H.  Wintersteen  and  David  I.  Myers,  for  five  hundred  tons  of  iron  pipe ;  all 
which  said  contracts  are  deposited  in  the  office  of  the  Comptroller  of  the  city  of  New 
York. 

The  relative  rights  and  duties  of  the  parties  being  thus  authoritatively  settled,  each 
proceeded,  in  his  own  sphere,  to  accomplish  the  matter  in  hand. 

It  being  strenuously  desired  that  the  city  should,  in  the  summer  of  1842,  be  in  the 
possession  and  enjoyment  of  the  water,  every  effort  was  made  to  ensure  such  a  result. 
Obstacles,  however,  arising  from  the  great  difficulty  of  the  principal  operations  yet  unfi- 
nished, disappointed  partially,  the  hopes  of  the  engineers  and  Commissioners.  The 
contractors  for  the  new  dam  in  the  Croton,  for  instance,  were  bound  to  have  it  in  such  an 
advanced  stage  by  1st  November  of  this  year,  as  to  throw  two  feet  water  from  the  lake 
into  the  aqueduct.  The  next  disappointment  was  in  the  bridge  over  the  Harlem,  arisin  g 
from  not  finding,  as  the  soundings  had  indicated,  a  rocky  bottom  on  which  to  rest  the 
foundation  of  some  of  the  piers  of  the  bridge.  Nevertheless,  the  Commissioners  and  the 
engineers  still  adhered  to  the  opinion  that  the  4th  of  July,  1842,  would  witness  the  intro- 
duction of  the  Croton  into  the  houses  and  fountains  of  the  city. 

The  Report  of  the  Commissioners  on  17th  of  January,  1842,  thus  exhibits  the  state 
of  the  work : 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT. 

Of  the  first  division,  the  aqueduct  part  is  finished,  and  was  nearly  so  on  the  1st 
of  January  1841.  The  only  part  of  this  division  remaining  unfinished,  is  the  dam. 
After  the  carrying  away  of  the  earthen  embankment,  comprising  a  major  part  of  the  dam, 
the  undersigned  concurred  with  the  engineers  in  the  advantage  of  constructing  the  new 
dam  on  an  entirely  different  plan  from  the  one  previously  constructed  ;  and  instead  of  the 
extended  earthen  embankment,  a  continuous  stone  dam,  laid  in  hydraulic  cement,  was 
decided  on  ;  to  be  constructed  entirely  across  the  river,  so  that  the  overfall,  or  apron  of  the 
dam,  will  be  of  the  same  extent  as  the  natural  breadth  of  the  river.  The  length  of  the  new 
part  of  the  dam  (the  mason  work  of  the  old  dam  not  having  been  carried  away)  is  180  feet; 
so  that  with  the  mason  work  of  the  first  erected  dam,  which  still  remains,  it  will  make  a 
dam  of  an  overfall  of  260  feet.  The  dam,  when  completed,  will  be  about  50  feet  high, 
having  a  base  of  masonry  65  feet  wide  ;  and  banked  in,  on  the  up  stream  side,  with  an  em- 
bankment 250  feet  wide  at  base.  The  profile  of  the  face  of  the  dam  corresponds  with  the 
curved  form  which  the  water  will  assume  in  pouring  over  it,  and  is  coped  with  cut  stone, 
in  the  most  substantial  manner. 

At  the  toe  of  the  dam,  a  heavy  apron  of  crib  work,  8  to  12  feet  deep,  and  53  feet  wide, 
filled  in  with  stone  and  planked,  gives  great  security  to  that  part  of  the  work.  With  the 
view  of  keeping  4  feet  of  water  on  the  apron  at  the  toe  of  the  dam,  and  thereby  breaking  the 
force  of  the  fall,  by  its  action  on  a  body  of  water,  there  has  been  constructed,  at  a  point 
300  feet  below  the  main  dam,  a  secondary  dam  of  timber  and  stone,  which  is  200  feet  long 
and  9  feet  high.  The  abutments  of  this  secondary  dam,  with  two  piers  of  crib  work,  filled 
in  with  stone,  have  been  used  for  the  purpose  of  a  bridge  across  the  river,  and  will  remain 
a  bridge  to  accommodate  the  public  and  for  the  use  of  the  keeper  of  the  gate  house. 

The  construction  of  the  new  dam  was  vigorously  commenced  by  Messrs.  McCullough, 
Black  &  Co.,  early  in  the  spring,  under  contract,  to  raise  the  same  so  high  by  the  1st  of 
November  following,  as  to  throw  at  least  two  feet  of  water  into  the  tunnel  of  the  aqueduct. 

This  requirement  of  their  contract  they  have  not  fulfilled  ;  which  is  to  be  regretted, 
mainly  on  the  ground  that  the  work  could  not  be  left  in  as  secure  a  condition  against  the 
spring  floods,  as  it  would  have  been  left,  had  this  condition  of  the  contract  been  complied 
with.  The  contractors  urged  in  excuse,  the  great  difficulty  in  procuring  sufficient  quan- 
tities of  large  stone,  and  of  a  suitable  quality,  and  the  consequent  failure,  by  their  sub-con- 
tractors, in  the  delivery  of  such  stone ;  which  difficulty  was  enhanced  by  the  rejection  of 
every  stone  not  deemed  of  the  most  durable  quality. 

The  work,  on  the  whole,  has  been  prosecuted,  with  the  exception  referred  to,  with 
commendable  perseverance  and  energy,  and  the  dam  can  be  made  to  throw  into  the  aque- 
duct the  water  required,  early  in  the  ensuing^summer,  and  can  be  conveniently  completed 
during  the  summer  months. 

It  is  presumed  that  the  mason  work  of  the  dam,  will  derive  additional  strength  from 
the  extension  of  the  time  of  its  construction. 

The  remaining  part  of  the  aqueduct  proper,  in  Westchester,  being  the  second,  third, 
and  part  of  the  fourth  divisions,  is  completed  to  the  contemplated  gate  house  at  the  Harlem 
River. 

HARLEM  AQ.UEDUCT  BRIDGE.  This  work  has  not  been  progressing  as  fast  as  was 
expected  by  the  Commissioners  and  Engineers.  To  some  extent  the  embarrassment  has 
arisen  by  not  finding  a  rock  foundation  in  the  bed  of  the  river  for  pier  No.  10  ;  and  after 
removing  the  mud  and  boulders  in  the  river  to  the  depth  of  thirty-five  feet  below  the  sur- 


MEMOIR    OF    THE 

face  of  the  water,  without  finding  rock,  it  was  determined  to  place  this  pier  on  piles,  and 
this  work  is  now  in  progress.  Although  disappointed  in  not  finding  a  stone  foundation, 
we  find  the  earth  in  the  bed  of  the  river  of  a  compact  character,  and  well  suited  to  give 
security  to  the  pier,  by  piling. 

The  foundations  for  piers  Nos.  7,  8  and  9  are,  all  of  them,  with  their  mason  work, 
carried  up  above  high  water.  Piers  Nos.  3  and  4  have,  also,  been  piled  for  masonry ;  and 
on  piers  Nos.  5  and  6,  the  masonry  has  been  raised  to  eleven  feet  in  height. 

We  have  supposed  that  the  details  of  expenditure  for  Harlem  Bridge,  would  be  inte- 
resting to  your  honorable  bodies,  and  have  therefore  to  state,  that  the  amount  paid,  from  the 
beginning,  and  due  to  the  first  of  January  inst,  is  $210,000.  The  continuation  of  the 
work,  sinking  the  remaining  piers  and  driving  the  piles,  mainly  necessary  for  the  proposed 
temporary  bringing  of  the  water  across  the  river,  and  the  expense  of  laying  the  pipes  for 
that  purpose,  will  amount  to  $116,558. 

The  estimated  cost  of  carrying  the  bridge  up  to  its  contemplated  height,  from  the 
point  or  position  in  which  it  will  be,  on  the  1st  of  July  next,  will  amount  to  $596,779. 

After  the  water  is  introduced,  by  these  temporary  means,  there  will  be  no  pressing 
necessity  for  the  high  bridge  being  erected  faster  than  is  convenient  for  the  resources  of 
the  Corporation,  and  the  economy  of  its  construction,  provided  no  objection  should  be 
urged  against  a  reasonable  interruption  of  the  river  navigation,  by  the  persons  interested 
therein,  the  value  of  which  navigation  is,  at  present,  too  small  to  be  estimated. 

Entertaining  this  view  of  this  important  subject,  the  Board  of  Water  Commissioners 
have  determined,  and  so  instructed  the  contractors,  that  without  further  instructions  from 
them,  the  Board  of  Commissioners,  they,  the  contractors,  are  to  do  no  work  on  the  bridge, 
excepting  such  parts  as  may  be  necessary  and  directed  by  our  engineers,  to  carry  the 
water  on  the  temporary  plan  across  the  river,  and  the  erection  of  the  piers  of  the  bridge 
up  to  high  water  mark;  and  to  accomplish  this,  will  keep  them  busily  employed 
until  the  1st  of  January  next.  In  giving  these  instructions,  we  considered  we  should 
best  meet  the  views  of  our  fellow-citizens  and  the  Common  Council.  If  we  are 
mistaken  in  the  wishes  of  the  Common  Council,  we  shall  be  glad  to  be  informed  of  the 
same.  Under  this  arrangement  of  the  work,  the  whole  amount  required  by  this  depart- 
ment to  bring  the  water  to  Murray's  Hill,  will  not  differ  materially  from  $650,000,  which 
includes  the  settling  up  the  demands  for  work  already  done  on  the  several  contracts  not 
yet  completed. 

CLENDENING  VALLEY.  The  Common  Council  will  recollect  that  we  informed  them, 
through  their  Committee,  in  July,  1840,  that  we  proposed  dispensing  with  the  arched 
bridges  contemplated  to  be  made  by  the  original  plan,  over  96th,  97th,  and  101st  streets. 
The  two  Boards,  by  resolution,  in  1840,  approved  the  contemplated  change.  His  Honor, 
the  late  Mayor,  fearing  enormous  damages  would  be  exacted  by  the  contractors,  doubted 
the  expediency  of  the  measure,  and  deemed  it  his  duty  to  veto  the  resolution  of  the  two 
Boards.  Neither  of  the  Boards  of  the  Common  Council  took  into  consideration  the  veto 
message  of  the  late  Mayor,  that  we  are  aware  of,  and  as  the  responsibility  of  the  work, 
and  its  mode  of  construction,  was  legally  with  this  Board,  we"  deemed  it  our  duty  to  dis- 
pense with  the  bridges  in  question,  and  the  work  at  the  Clendening  Valley  is  now  comple- 
ted without  them. 

The  saving,  by  this  alteration,  has  been  $52,000,  and  a  more  substantial  and  durable 
work  made  to  supply  the  place  of  arches.  We  have  also  arranged  with  the  contractors, 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT.  193 

to  settle  all  their  claims  for  this  departure  from  the  original  plan,  and  for  the  material 
which  they  had  provided  for  the  arches,  for  the  sum  of  $4,500. 

The  excavation  of  about  50,000  cubic  yards  of  rock  has  been  dispensed  with  in  the 
receiving  reservoir,  of  which  about  45,000  lie  in  the  northern  division.  This  constitutes 
a  saving  of  $50,000,  one  dollar  per  cubic  yard  being  the  price  for  excavatin  g. 

The  unfinished  work  on  this  island,  is  on  sections  Nos.  88,  89,  90,  91,  94,  96,  inclu- 
ding the  receiving  reservoir,  97,  98,  and  the  distributing  reservoir,  all  of  which  can  be 
completed  early  in  the  ensuing  season. 

ENGINEER  DEPARTMENT. — Under  the  direction  of  the  Board,  the  chief  engineer 
has  reduced  the  corps  to  one  chief,  one  principal  assistant,  and  two  resident  engineers, 
with  the  assistants  and  inspectors  mentioned  in  his  report. 

The  total  expenditures  up  to  31st  December,  1841,  for  all  objects  connected  with  the 
aqueduct,  were  $7,107,463  03. 

.  The  early  part  of  the  working  season  of  1842  was  rainy,  and  occasioned  some  soli- 
citude lest  the  contractors,  especially  those  for  the  dam,  should  not  be  able  sufficiently  to 
advance  their  work,  to  realise  the  expectations  of  the  citizens  to  behold  the  Croton  flow- 
ing in  their  streets  on  the  4th  of  July ;  but  after  the  state  of  the  weather  permitted  opera- 
tions to  be  resumed,  the  work  on  the  dam  was  carried  on  with  such  diligence  and  energy, 
that  the  water  in  the  Croton  lake  was  raised  sufficiently  high  to  flow  into  the  aqueduct 
with  a  depth  of  18  inches,  on  the  morning  of  the  22d  June. 

The  report  made  by  the  Commissioners  on  8th  August,  announces  the  gratifying  fact 
that  the  CROTON  HAD  REACHED  NEW  YORK,  and  was  flowing  in  her  streets. 

We  give  the  language  of  the  report  itself,  in  describing  this  most  important  and  inte- 
resting event.  It  also  keeps  up  the  record  of  the  progress  and  condition  of  the  works  at 
the  period  of  its  date  : 

CROTON  DAM.  The  work  on  this  dam  is  now  so  nearly  completed,  that  whenever  it 
is  considered  safe  and  proper  to  do  so,  the  quantity  of  water  sent  into  the  aqueduct  may 
be  increased  to  its  full  capacity. 

This  massive  structure,  of  which  the  dimensions  and  a  description  were  given  in  the 
last  report,  is  supposed  to  be  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  substantial  of  its  kind  in  the 
world.  The  cut  stone  masonry  of  the  overfall  being  now  completed,  with  the  exception 
of  15  or  20  feet  at  the  southern  end  adjoining  the  waste  culvert,  a  perfect  idea  can  be 
formed  of  its  finished  appearance  ;  and  this  is  well  calculated  to  impress  a  spectator  with 
the  belief  that  it  is  almost,  if  not  entirely,  indestructible  by  the  elements,  or  time. 

Between  the  Croton  Dam  and  the  influent  gate-house  at  Harlem  River,  the  line  of 
aqueduct  was  finished  last  season,  and  during  the  present  season  this  gate-house  has  been 
nearly  completed. 

The  embankment  in  the  Harlem  River,  which  serves  the  double  purpose  of  securing 
the  cofferdams  for  the  piers  of  the  bridge,  and  forming  a  foundation  for  the  temporary 

49 


194  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

water  pipes,  has  been  finished,  and  the  pipes  were  laid  upon  it,  and  a  connection  formed 
between  the  two  sides  of  the  river  early  in  June. 

To  the  lowest  part  of  the  large  connecting  pipe,  a  branch  pipe  was  attached,  and  to 
this  were  fitted  jets  of  various  sizes  and  forms.  This  was  done  for  the  purpose  of  ascer- 
taining by  experiment,  what  form  and  size  will  be  best  suited  for  fountains,  which  may 
be  erected  in  the  public  squares  or  other  parts  of  the  city,  for  convenience  or  ornament. 
The  jet  is  generally  allowed  to  play  a  few  hours  in  the  afternoon  of  every  day,  and  the 
large  volume  which  it  throws  to  the  height  of  110  feet,  is  an  object  of  much  interest  to 
those  who  visit  this,  at  present,  most  interesting  spot. 

HARLEM  RIVER  BRIDGE. — The  progress  of  this  work,  since  our  last  report,  has, 
owing  to  several  causes,  been  slower  than  we  expected.  In  that  report  it  was  mentioned 
that  after  carrying  the  excavation  for  pier  No.  10,  thirty-four  feet  below  the  surface  of  the 
water,  without  finding  rock,  it  was  determined  to  place  it  upon  piles.  In  carrying  out 
this  determination,  240  bearing  piles  have  been  driven,  varying  in  length  from  30  to  36 
feet.  Cross  timbers  were  laid  upon  the  heads  of  these,  and  the  spaces  between  these 
timbers  filled  with  concrete.  Upon  the  timbers,  the  cut  stone  masonry  was  commenced, 
and  several  courses  of  this  are  now  laid.  All  the  difficulty  and  danger  inseparably  con- 
nected with  the  use  of  coffer  dams,  of  the  great  size  and  depth  required  for  this  pier,  have 
been  successfully  overcome,  and  the  masonry  will,  in  a  few  weeks,  be  raised  above  the 
high  water  of  the  river.  The  coffer  dams  for  piers  Nos.  11,  12,  and  13,  are  in  their 
places,  and  embanked,  but  none  of  them  have  yet  been  cleared  of  water,  or  the  character 
of  the  foundations  ascertained.  It  is  expected,  however,  that  11  and  12,  and  perhaps 
13,  will  require  the  same  operations  of  piling  and  timbering,  previous  to  laying  down 
any  part  of  the  masonry. 

The  present  condition  of  the  work  is  as  follows  :  The  foundations  of  piers  Nos. 
2,  3,  4,  5,  6,  7,  8,  9,  and  10,  are  laid  and  secured,  and  the  masonry  of  all,  except  No.  10,  is 
carried  above  high-water  mark  from  4  to  15  feet.  The  foundations  of  Nos.  11,  12,  and 
13,  which  are  river  piers,  remain  to  be  put  down,  and  Nos.  1  and  14  at  the  two  ends  of 
the  bridge.  These  last  will  be  built  upon  rock,  and  at  a  considerable  height  above  the 
water.  A  very  large  quantity  of  cut  stone,  for  various  parts  of  the  work,  is  prepared,  and 
much  of  it  brought  upon  the  ground.  All,  or  nearly  all,  the  timber  for  the  centres  of  the 
arches  is  delivered,  and  the  amount  of  machinery  and  arrangements  of  the  contractors  for 
carrying  on  the  work  is  such,  that  if  the  commissioners  should  feel  authorised  to  urge  it 
forward,  there  is  no  doubt  but  it  could  be  carried  up  as  fast  as  a  due  regard  to  its  stability 
would  warrant. 

RECEIVING  RESERVOIR  AT  YORKVILLE. — The  excavation  at  this  place  was  carried 
on  at  a  moderate  rate  during  the  whole  winter,  and  on  the  opening  of  the  spring,  such 
additions  were  made  to  the  force  employed  there,  that  the  work  was  fitted  for  the  recep- 
tion of  water  on  27th  June. 

It  is  not  yet,  however,  entirely  finished ;  but  the  contractors  are  making  such  pro- 
gress as  will  probably  enable  them  to  complete  the  whole  in  the  course  of  the  ensuing 
month. 

The  work  in  the  5th  Avenue,  in  which  are  laid  the -iron  pipes,  connecting  the 
receiving  and  distributing  reservoirs,  is  nearly  completed.  Something  remains  to  be  done 
at  one  or  two  culverts,  and  perhaps  something  more  ought  to  be  done  in  the  way  of  regu- 
lating the  Avenue. 

DISTRIBUTING  RESERVOIR  AT  MURRAY'S  HILL. — This  work  is  now  nearly  com- 
plete ;  about  one-half  the  length  of  the  enclosing  wall  is  finished,  and  the  remaining  half 


CROTON    ACIUEDUCT.  195 

requires  little  to  complete  it  but  the  cornice.  So  far  as  it  has  been  tried  by  the  pressure 
of  water  20  feet  in  depth,  it  has  proved  perfectly  tight,  and  its  performance  in  all  respects 
is  entirely  satisfactory. 

When  this  is  completed,  and  the  streets  and  grounds  about  it  are  regulated,  it  will  be 
one  of  the  most  interesting  objects  of  utility  and  curiosity  to  citizens  and  strangers,  which 
our  country  affords. 

Ever  since  the  completion  of  the  masonry  of  the  aqueduct,  it  has  been  frequently 
and  carefully  examined,  with  a  view  to  detect  defects,  if  any  existed,  or  failure,  if  any 
should  take  place ;  and  it  has  been  found,  with  slight  exceptions,  to  continue  as  perfect 
as  on  the  day  it  was  finished. 

In  the  few  cases  where  imperfections  have  been  found  in  the  interior,  they  have  been 
repaired,  and  the  work  improved  in  such  manner  as  is  supposed  will  secure  its  future  per- 
manency ;  the  exterior  covering  of  earth  has,  in  several  places,  been  enlarged  and  secured, 
sometimes  by  covering  with  turf,  and  sometimes  by  a  layer  of  broken  stones. 

Having  described  the  progress  and  proximate  completion  of  the  work  under  our 
charge,  we  have  the  satisfaction  further,  formally,  to  communicate  to  the  Common  Coun- 
cil, that  the  dam,  the  aqueduct,  and  the  reservoirs  are  now  all  in  operation  and  success- 
fully performing  the  work  for  which  they  were  designed.  On  the  8th  June,  the  Com- 
missioners, accompanied  by  the  engineers,  commenced  a  journey  through  the  aqueduct, 
on  foot,  which  was  completed  in  the  two  succeeding  days,  to  Harlem  river,  a  distance  of 
33  miles.  The  whole  line  having  been  found  in  good  condition,  orders  were  given  to 
close  the  openings  which  had  been  left  in  the  bottom,  for  the  escape  of  water  which 
flowed  into  the  work  in  tunnels  and  deep  cuttings.  This  having  been  done,  and  the  dam 
raised  sufficiently  to  cause  the  water  to  flow  into  the  aqueduct,  it  was  admitted  to  the 
depth  of  18  inches,  at  5  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  22d  June.  A  boat  capable  of  car- 
rying four  persons,  which  had  been  prepared  for  the  purpose,  called  the  "  Croton  Maid," 
was  then  placed  in  the  aqueduct  to  be  carried  down  by  the  current.  She  was  navigated 
sometimes  by  one  portion  of  the  party,  sometimes  by  another,  during  her  singular  voy- 
age, and  arrived  at  Harlem  river  almost  simultaneously  with  the  first  arrival  of  the  water. 
The  velocity  with  which  the  current  flowed  in  the  aqueduct  was  a  matter  of  great  inte- 
rest, and  therefore  carefully  observed  ;  and  we  were  much  pleased  to  find  that  it  was  at  a 
quicker  rate  than  the  calculations  of  the  engineers  had  led  us  to  expect.  The  velocity 
observed  at  that  time  was  a  mile  in  40  minutes ;  but  subsequent  observations,  with  the 
depth  of  water  increased  to  2  feet,  have  shown  that  it  flows  a  mile  in  36  minutes,  and 
with  a  depth  of  4  feet,  the  velocity  will  probably  not  fall  far  short  of  2  miles  per  hour. 
On  the  arrival  of  the  water  at  Harlem  river  on  Thursday,  the  23d  June,  formal  notice  of 
the  event  was  given  by  the  Commissioners  to  the  Mayor  and  Common  Council,  who  were 
also  informed,  at  the  same  time,  that  it  was  our  intention  to  admit  it  into  the  receiving 
reservoir  at  Yorkville  on  the  succeeding  Monday. 

This  intention  was  completely  carried  out ;  the  water  having  been  admitted  into  the 
northern  division  of  the  reservoir  on  that  day  at  half  past  4  o'clock,  P.  M.,  in  the  presence 
of  a  large  assemblage,  which  included  the  Mayor  and  several  members  of  the  Common 
Council'  the  Governor  of  the  State,  the  Lieut.  Governor  and  the  other  members  of  the 
Court  for  the  Correction  of  Errors,  and  many  other  distinguished  persons.  A  salute  of 
38  guns  was  fired  upon  the  occasion  by  a  detachment  of  artillery,  detailed  for  that  service 
by  Gen.  Sanford.  The  "Croton  Maid,"  which  arrived  soon  afterwards  at  the  reservoir, 
was  hailed  by  the  assembled  citizens  with  much  enthusiasm,  as  she  afforded  indubitable 


196  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

evidence  that  a  navigable  river  was  flowing  into  the  city,  for  the  use  of  its  inhabitants-. 
The  President  of  the  Board  then  presented  the  boat  to  the  Fire  Department  of  the  city, 
(through  their  chief  engineer,  C,  V.  Anderson,  Esq.,)  with  some  remarks  upon  the  mag- 
nitude of  the  aqueduct  through  which  she  had  been  navigated,  and  the  important  results,, 
pecuniary  and  moral,  which  may  be  expected  to  flow  from  the  abundance  and  excellence 
of  the  water,  with  which  our  citizens  are  hereafter  to  be  supplied.  These  remarks  were 
replied  to  by  the  Hon.  Morris  Franklin. 

The  water  was  retained  in  that  reservoir  until  the  2d  July,  when  it  was  allowed  to 
flow  into  the  iron  pipes  which  conduct  it  to  the  distributing  reservoir.  Public  notice  had 
been  given  sometime  previous,  that  it  would  be  admitted  into  that  reservoir  on  the  4th  of 
July  ;  invitations  were  sent  to  the  Mayor  and  Common  Council,  and  several  others,  to 
attend  at  sunrise  in  the  morning  of  that  day,  for  the  purpose  of  observing  the  first  entrance 
of  the  water.  At  half  past  4  o'clock  the  order  was  given  to  the  chief  engineer  to  open  the 
stop-cocks  of  the  influent  pipes  ",  and  at  a  quarter  before  5  o'clock,  the  Croton  river  was  in 
full  flow.  Owing  to  the  early  hour  at  which  the  water  first  appeared  in  the  reservoir,  few 
persons  were  present  to  witness  the  important  event ;  but  shortly  afterwards,  the  Mayor, 
several  members  of  the  Common  Council,  and  a  number  of  the  most  respectable  inhabi- 
tants of  the  city,  visited  the  work,  and  all  expressed  themselves  highly  gratified  at  the 
sight  of  the  long-wished-for  Croton  water,  its  abundance  and  purity,  and  at  the  almost  un- 
exampled perfection  of  all  parts  of  the  work,  as  indicated  by  its  performance. 

A  jet  which  threw  the  water  from  forty  to  fifty  feet  high  had  been  prepared  at  47th 
street,  and  was  playing  at  an  early  hour.  This,  from  its  great  beauty,  attracted  much 
attention  ;  but  on  opening  the  pipes  to  the  reservoir,  its  height  was  so  much  diminished 
that  it  was  stopped  a  few  hours  ;  after  which  it  was  again  allowed  to  play,  and  during  the 
remainder  of  the  day,  formed  one  of  the  principal  objects  of  attraction. 

At  the  particular  request  of  the  Mayor,  who  stated  that  the  tanks  at  13th  street  were 
dry,  and  the  city  much  exposed  if  a  fire  should  occur,  the  water  was  permitted  to  flow 
into  the  distributing  pipes,  which  have  been  laid  down  under  the  direction  of  the  Com- 
mon Council.  But  owing  to  the  unskilful  manner  in  which  that  work  was  designed  and 
executed,  nearly  the  whole  day  passed  before  the  pipes  could  be  sufficiently  cleared  of  air, 
to  allow  the  water  to  flow  regularly  into  the  lower  part  of  the  city. 

The  water  has  since  continued  to  flow  with  a  depth  in  the  aqueduct  of  about  two  feet, 
and  delivering  into  the  receiving  reservoir  about  12,000,000  imperial  gallons  per  day.  No 
accident  has  occurred  to  interrupt  its  regular  performance,  and  no  failure  or  defect,  or  indi- 
cation of  either,  has  been  observed  in  any  part  of  the  work  after  the  most  careful  inspection. 

In  a  tone  of  natural  exultation,  this  report  concludes  with  warm  congratulations  to 
the  city,  on  the  practical  accomplishment  of  the  great  and  costly  work  undertaken  by  it, 
and  looking  back  to  the  small  beginnings  from  which  this  magnificent  undertaking 
sprang,  thus  recalls  the  past : 

Your  predecessors  in  office  on  the  16th  of  March,  1829,  nailed  up  and  discussed  the 
report  of  a  committee  for  abolishing  the  system  of  public  cisterns,  and  laying  down  two 
lines  of  12  inch  iron  pipes,  one  through  Broadway  and  one  through  the  Bowery ;  and 
placing  a  tank  or  reservoir  in  13th  street,  on  the  pinnacle  of  a  rock  there  situated.  James 
Palmer  was  the  chairman  of  the  committee,  and  brought  good  practical  sense  as  well  as 
an  honest  reputation  to  the  support  of  the  measure.  The  plan  was  fully  discussed — was 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT.  197 

pronounced  by  some  to  be  visionary,  and  it  was  declared  by  a  member  then  in  the  city 
councils,  that  water  enough  could  not  be  procured  to  fill  a  tea-kettle,  much  less  the  tanks 
and  pipes  ! !  The  reply  to  that  argument  was,  "  Give  us  the  tank  and  pipes,  and  we 
engage  to  fill  them,  if  we  have  to  carry  the  water  in  quart  bottles." 

The  report  was  adopted,  the  tank  constructed,  the  pipes  laid  down,  and  the  hydrants 
erected.  No  public  cisterns  were  ever  afterwards  made.  Every  subsequent  year  added 
length  to  the  line  of  pipes,  until  we  now  have  130  miles,  and  the  Croton  River  flows  into 
that  tank,  and  through  those  pipes  and  hydrants,  erected  by  the  appropriation  of  that 
night. 

Fortuitous  circumstances  reserved  for  the  gentleman,  who  in  1829,  in  his  place  in 
the  Common  Council,  gave  the  pledge,  "  that  in  case  the  well  to  be  dug  on  the  point  of 
the  rock  on  13th  street  would  not  fill  the  tank  and  pipes  in  Broadway  and  the  Bowery 
with  water,  that  they  should  be  filled,  if  need  be,  with  quart  bottles,"  13  years  afterwards, 
on  the  4th  of  July,  1842,  to  open  the  gates  of  the  reservoir  and  fill  these  very  pipes  and 
this  very  tank,  not  from  "  quart  bottles,"  but  from  the  Croton  River,  passing  through  the 
whole  line  of  the  Croton  Aqueduct ! 

The  gentleman  here  referred  to,  was  Samuel  Stevens,  Esq.,  the  presiding  officer  of 
the  Board  of  Commissioners,  whose  name  and  services  will  be  recorded  with  those  of 
Stephen  Allen,  and  Douglas  and  Jervis,  for  the  enduring  gratitude  of  the  distant  generations, 
whose  health,  comfort,  and  safety  will,  while  "  grass  grows  and  water  runs,"  continue  to 
be  promoted  by  the  great  work,  to  which  these  gentlemen  devoted  such  faithful  and  intel- 
ligent care. 

On  the  20th  January,  1843,  the  then  Commissioners  made  their  final  report,  which, 
announced  the  completion  of  the  Croton  Dam,  and  that  it  had  undergone,  without 
damage,  the  test  of  a  full  ordinary  freshet  caused  by  the  warm  rains,  and  the  breaking 
up  of  the  ice  in  the  early  part  of  January.  The  utmost  rise  of  the  water  above  the  dam 
was  25  inches ;  although,  according  to  estimate,  a  million  gallons  per  minute  passed  over 
it,  exclusive  of  that  which  escaped  through  the  waste  culvert  of  the  dam,  and  through  the 
aqueduct.  This  quantity  of  waste  water,  was  one  hundred  and  twenty  times  more  than 
that  brought  to  the  city  by  the  aqueduct. 

The  Harlem  bridge  was  reported  to  be  in  satisfactory  progress.  "  The  foundations 
of  all  the  land  piers,  on  both  sides  of  the  river,"  says  the  Report,  "  are  completed,  and  the 
masonry  of  several  of  them  is  carried  to  a  considerable  height,  presenting  an  appearance 
of  great  solidity  and  beauty.  The  foundations  of  five  of  the  river-piers,  Nos.  7,  8,  9,  10 
and  11,  are  also  completed,  and  the  stone  work  of  the  first  four  has  been  carried  to  the 
height  of  forty  feet  or  more,  and  the  last,  No.  11,  is  nearly  ready  to  receive  the  mason- 
ry. The  work  upon  the  two  remaining  foundations,  Nos.  12  and  13,  is  in  progress. 
The  excavation  for  No.  12  is  completed,  and  a  large  part  of  the  bearing  piles  are  driven. 
The  contractors  have  recently  erected  another  steam  engine  for  the  purpose  of  pumping 
50 


198 


MEMOIR    OF    THE 


and  hoisting  out  the  earth  excavated  in  No.  13.  The  precise  character  of  the  foundation 
for  this  pier  has  not  yet  been  very  satisfactorily  ascertained.  The  indications  at  present 
are,  that  it  will  be  found  similar  to  that  of  Nos.  10,  11  and  12,  and  require  piling  in  the 
same  manner.  The  coffer  dams,  used  for  putting  down  these  foundations,  have  been 
found  to  answer  their  intended  purpose  very  perfectly.  No  accident  has  thus  far  attend- 
ed their  use,  and  they  have  been  kept  free  of  water  with  less  difficulty  than  could  reason- 
ably have  been  expected." 

The  whole  amount  expended  on  the  works  up  to  20  January,  is  stated  by  the  Com- 
missioners at  seven  millions  nine  hundred  and  ten  thousand  four  hundred  and  seventy- 
six  dollars,  to  which  a  further  amount  of  $662,540,  required  for  work  unfinished  and 
contracts  unsettled,  would  be  added.  Both  these  sums,  however,  are  exclusive  of  the 
pipes  laid  from  the  distributing  reservoir,  that  head  of  expenditure  being  under  the  charge 
of  the  Corporation. 

The  certainty  of  an  adequate  supply  of  water  from  the  reservoirs,  even  when  the 
aqueduct  is  under  repair,  is  thus  strongly  stated  in  this  Report. 

"  The  capacity  of  the  reservoirs  (perhaps  beyond  the  wants  of  the  city)  is  making 
good  the  opinions  of  the  present  Board  when  they  first  entered  on  their  duties ;  this  was 
manifested  on  the  late  occasion  of  examining  the  interior  of  the  aqueduct ;  the  water  was 
shut  off  and  not  permitted  to  enter  the  reservoirs  for  ten  days  ;  in  these  ten  days,  all  the 
water  used  in  the  city  for  fires  and  culinary  purposes  and  waste  (though  the  jets  d'eau 
were  not  playing)  reduced  the  quantity  of  water  in  the  reservoirs  only  one-tenth.  The 
water  held  back  in  the  receiving  reservoir  would,  at  this  rate,  have  been  sufficient  to 
supply  the  city  for  100  days.  The  capacity,  too,  of  the  receiving  reservoir  was  con- 
siderably diminished  by  not  excavating  to  the  depth  contemplated  by  the  original  plans. 

The  aqueduct  had  now  been  several  months  in  operation,  through  summer  heats 
and  winter  cold — and  of  course  it  became  a  subject  of  deep  interest  to  ascertain  how  the 
work  had  stood.  We  copy  from  the  report  of  Mr.  Jervis  to  the  Commissioners  on  16th 
January,  this  interesting  detail  on  the  subject : 

No  interruption  to  the  supply  of  water  to  the  city  has  occurred,  since  its  first  intro- 
duction. The  water  continued  to  flow  uninterruptedly  through  the  aqueduct,  from  the 
22d  of  June,  when  it  was  first  let  in,  to  the  8th  of  November,  when  it  was  shut  off  for 
the  purpose  of  more  effectually  inspecting  its  condition,  and  the  effect  that  had  been  pro- 
duced by  the  action  of  the  water  or  other  cause. 

Previous  to  the  time  of  shutting  off  the  water,  several  examinations,  similar  to  that 
mentioned  in  my  report  of  July  last,  had  been  made  by  myself  and  the  resident  engi- 
neers, Messrs.  French  &  Hastie,  by  means  of  a  boat  floating  through  the  aqueduct, 
between  the  Croton  Dam  and  Harlem  River.  Some  unimportant  defects  were  discovered 
inside  the  aqueduct,  a  short  time  before  the  water  was  shut  off,  and  two  small  leaks  ap- 


CROTON    AdUEDUCT.  199 

peared  on  the  outside.  The  next  day  after  the  water  was  shut  off,  I  commenced  an  ex- 
amination inside  the  aqueduct,  in  company  with  one  of  your  Board,  Mr.  Ward,  and  the 
resident  engineers,  Messrs.  French  &  Hastie,  on  their  respective  districts,  and  continued 
it  through  the  entire  aqueduct. 

For  that  part  on  this  island,  our  party  was  increased  by  the  addition  of  Messrs.  Ring 
&  Birdsall,  and  Mr.  Allen,  the  principal  assistant  engineer. 

On  the  examination  we  were  accompanied  by  men  prepared  to  attend  to  any  work 
that  might  appear  necessary  ;  and  as  soon  as  we  passed  over  a  district,  they  received  their 
directions,  and  immediately  proceeded  with  such  work  as  it  was  considered  expedient  to 
do.  Some  defects  were  discovered,  the  greater  part  of  which  appeared  to  have  been  over- 
looked in  previous  examinations,  which  now  were  discovered,  most  probably  from  the 
clean  state  of  the  masonry,  after  a  washing  of  near  five  months ;  there  was,  however, 
evidence  that  a  small  additional  settlement  had  taken  place  in  a  few  instances.  The 
work  required  was  vigorously  prosecuted  to  completion,  and  on  the  16th,  eight  days  after 
the  water  was  shut  off,  it  was  again  let  into  the  aqueduct.  In  the  main,  the  aqueduct 
appeared  substantially  well,  and  the  defects  not  such  as  to  give  serious  apprehension  that 
its  successful  action  would  have  been  impaired  by  them  for  a  long  time.  Enough,  how- 
ever, was  discovered  to  show  the  propriety  of  the  examination.  The  two  leaks  that  had 
appeared  on  the  outside  were  successfully  stopped  by  the  work  done  inside,  and  nothing 
has  since  appeared  to  indicate  any  defect  in  the  work. 

The  reservoirs,  during  the  time  the  water  was  shut  off  from  the  aqueduct,  proved 
amply  sufficient  for  the  supply  of  the  city,  and  indeed  much  beyond  a  supply,  as  a  large 
quantity  of  water  had  to  be  wasted  from  the  receiving  reservoir  before  the  lower  end  of 
the  aqueduct  could  be  examined. 

By  a  proper  watchfulness,  any  material  defect  in  the  aqueduct  may  be  timely  dis- 
covered, by  appearances  on  the  outside,  or  examinations  by  means  of  a  boat  floating 
through  the  inside.  The  latter  should  be  done  generally  once  in  each  month,  and  more 
frequently  on  parts  most  liable  to  prove  defective.  In  addition  to  this,  it  should  be  es- 
tablished as  a  rule,  that  the  water  is  to  be  shut  off  twice  in  a  year,  for  a  thorough  inside 
examination,  when  all  repairs  that  may  appear  necessary  should  be  made.  With  suitable 
preparations,  the  examination  and  work  required  could  ordinarily  be  accomplished  in 
about  ten  days,  during  this  time,  the  reservoirs  would  amply  supply  the  city  with  water. 
With  proper  regulations,  they  would  give  a  sufficient  supply  to  500,000  people  for  double 
the  time  proposed.  The  most  suitable  time  for  such  examinations  would  be  early  in  the 
months  of  April  and  November,  when  the  temperature  of  the  water  in  the  reservoirs 
would  not  be  materially  affected. 

The  water  has  usually  flowed  at  the  depth  of  two  and  a  quarter  feet  in  the  aqueduct, 
but  has  been  as-  high  as  three  and  a  half  feet,  and  between  the  Croton  Dam  and  Sing  Sing 
waste  wier  (nearly  8  miles)  was  for  several  weeks  from  five  to  six  feet  deep. 

The  water  in  the  receiving  reservoir  has  been  gradually  raised  to  its  present  height 
of  eighteen  feet  in  the  northern  division,  and  twenty-six  feet  in  the  southern  division. 
When  full,  the  northern  division  will  have  twenty  feet,  and  the  southern  thirty  feet.  It 
will  be  proper,  for  the  winter,  to  keep  the  water  at  its  present  level  in  the  northern,  and  to 
raise  it  gradually  to  twenty-seven  feet  in  the  southern  division.  I  recently  made  a  careful 
examination,  in  company  with  Mr.  Hastie,  the  resident  engineer,  of  the  vaults  of  this 
reservoir.  We  found  some  leakage  through  the  walls,  but  not  sufficient  to  give  any  ap- 
prehension for  the  security  of  the  work.  The  same  day  we  examined  the  vaults  of  the 


2QO  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

distributing  reservoir.  At  four  places  we  found  the  earth  between  the  walls  to  be  quite 
soft,  indicating  that  some  water  had  percolated  from  the  bottom  of  the  reservoir,  passed 
under  the  inner  wall,  and  made  its  appearance  in  the  vault  between  the  exterior  and  inte- 
rior walls.  The  quantity  of  water  was  extremely  small,  in  some  cases  not  sufficient  to 
make  a  perceptible  stream  in  the  channel  designed  to  carry  any  leakage  that  might  occur 
to  the  sewers  on  the  outside,  but  the  earth  was  fully  saturated,  and  in  other  cases  a  very 
small  trickling  stream  passed  off  in  the  channel.  The  extent  of  this  leakage  is  small,  the 
main  part  of  the  bottom  appearing  well.  The  leakage  through  the  interior  walls  is  very 
small ;  they  are  as  impervious  as  could  have  been  anticipated,  in  view  of  the  great  pres- 
sure to  which  they  are  exposed.  Their  greatest  leakage  is  at  the  junction  of  the  division 
walls  with  the  influent  and  effluent  cock  vaults.  In  each  direction  from  them,  the  leak- 
age decreases,  and  in  about  half  of  the  western  division  the  walls  (and  channel  to  carry  off 
leakage  water)  are  entirely  dry.  There  is  conclusive  evidence  that  the  leakage  through 
the  walls  has  to  some  extent  subsided,  although  the  pressure,  by  gradually  raising  the 
water,  has  been  increasing.  The  water  now  stands  in  the  reservoir  at  about  thirty-three 
feet  above  the  sills  of  the  gate  frames,  or  thirty-five  feet  above  the  bottom,  and  within 
three  feet  of  the  designed  top  water  level. 

Some  small  leakages  have  occurred  in  the  joints  of  the  iron  pipes,  that  have  been 
laid  down  in  connexion  with  the  aqueduct  work  ;  the  most  troublesome  has  occurred  in 
the  temporary  pipe  at  Harlem  River,  and  is  mainly  to  be  attributed  to  the  manner  in 
which  it  was  necessary  to  lay  down  this  pipe,  not  allowing  all  the  freedom  of  action  that 
is  necessary  to  provide  for  the  expansion  and  contraction  occurring  in  the  different  tem- 
peratures to  which  they  are  exposed. 

The  aqueduct  and  its  appurtenances  have  been  subjected  to  the  trial  of  near  seven 
months,  and  I  have  endeavored  to  detail  fully  the  effect  the  water  has  produced,  and  the 
prospect  of  its  capacity  to  fulfil,  with  regularity  and  permanence,  the  object  of  its  con- 
struction. It  has  been  the  subject  of  intense  solicitude  and  care,  and  although  there  is 
good  ground  to  believe  that  in  the  main,  the  work  will  prove  to  have  the  stability  and 
permanence  that  is  necessary,  it  will  still,  for  sometime  to  come,  require  a  vigilant  watch- 
fulness. The  deep  interest  I  feel  in  the  success  of  the  work,  as  also  its  great  importance 
to  the  city,  induces  me  to  urge,  that  the  persons  to  whose  care  it  may  be  committed,  be 
selected  with  reference  to  their  acquaintance  with  the  work,  and  their  known  ability  and 
faithfulness,  for  the  supervision  required.  After  the  work  before  mentioned  shall  have 
been  completed,  the  ordinary  work  of  supervision  and  repairs,  if  well  directed,  will  probably 
be  obtained  at  a  moderate  expense.  At  the  same  time  it  should  be  distinctly  urged  that 
economy  or  efficiency,  can  only  be  expected,  from  the  supervision  and  care  of  men,  who 
are  intimately  familiar  with  the  method  of  construction  and  the  character  of  the  work, 
and  who  will  deeply  feel  the  high  responsibility  confided  to  their  industry  and  fidelity. 
The  main  burden  of  this  duty  will  consist,  in  an  unwavering  perseverance ;  watching 
with  scrutinizing  care  every  part  of  the  work,  and  seasonably  providing  for,  and  making 
such  repairs  as  may  be  necessary.  The  extent  of  the  work,  the  variety  of  its  structures, 
the  severe  pressure  to  which  many  of  its  parts  are  necessarily  exposed,  and  the  great  im- 
portance to  the  city,  in  maintaining  it  in  a  condition  that  will  ensure  a  regular  and  full 
supply  of  water,  must  give  to  every  reflecting  mind,  a  strong  sense  of  the  high  responsi- 
bility that  will  rest  on  those  to  .whose  care  it  is  confided.  Not  expecting  to  be  much  lon- 
ger engaged  in  the  general  charge  of  the  work,  I  have  felt  it  to  be  a  duty  that  I  owed,  not 
more  to  my  own  reputation,  than  to  the  interest  of  the  city  in  this  great  work,  to  urge  the 
above  remarks  in  relation  to  its  future  management." 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT.  201 

No  one  will  fail  to  be  struck  with  the  tone  of  natural  solicitude  evinced  by  the  chief 
engineer  in  the  close  of  this  extract,  for  the  due  care  and  perservation  of  a  noble  work,  on 
which  he  had  expended  so  much  time,  talent,  and  anxiety,  and  by  his  connection  with 
which  he  could  not  but  feel,  if  more  modest  than  the  Roman  poet,  he  did  not  say, 

Exegi  monumentum  aere  perennius 

*  *  *  *  * 

duod  non  imber  er'ax,  non  Aquilo  impotens 

Possit  diruere,  aut  innumerabilis, 

Annorum  series  et  fuga  temporum.* 

With  regard  to  the  permanency  of  the  work  and  the  probability  on  any  great  expendi- 
tures for  repairs  or  additional  securities,  Mr.  Jervis  holds  this  language : 

What  now  appears  sufficient,  may  on  further  trial,  develope  the  necessity  of  additional 
security.  I  am  not  aware  of  any  indication,  further  than  has  been  mentioned  in  the  for- 
mer part  of  this  report,  of  the  probable  necessity  of  further  security.  Should,  however,  the 
appearance  of  water  passing  from  the  bottom  of  the  distributing  reservoir,  as  mentioned 
in  a  former  page,  show  any  material  increase,  or  if  it  should  not  subside  in  the  course  of  a 
few  mouths,  an  additional  course  of  concrete  should  be  put  over  the  bottom.  I  hope  this 
may  not  be  necessary,  though  it  is  proper  for  me  to  remark  that  I  feel  some  apprehension 
that  it  may  be  expedient,  as  a  prudential  measure,  to  incur  a  further  expense  of  twelve  to 
fifteen  thousand  dollars  for  this  purpose. 

Early  in  this  year,  1843,  another  change  of  political  parties  in  the  government  of  the 
State  having  occurred,  the  former  Commissioners  were  reinstated,  and  now  have  charge  of 
the  work — without  any  change  occurring  in  the  engineer  department,  other  than  by  the  re- 
duction consequent  upon  the  finishing  of  operations. 

Having  thus  brought  our  narrative  of  the  progress  of  the  work  to  its  conclusion,  it  re- 
mains to  present,  as  promised,  a  connected  view  of  the  aqueduct,  its  chief  and  most 
striking  constructions,  its  general  plan,  and  such  other  details  as  are  likely  to  in- 
terest our  readers. 

We  are  permitted  by  Mr.  Jervis  to  avail  ourselves,  for  this  purpose,  of  the  descrip- 
tion published  by  him  on  occasion  of  the  civic  celebration  of  the  14th  of  October, 
to  which  he  enables  us  to  add  some  further  particulars  of  the  state  of  the  work,  up  to  the 
instant  of  passing  these  sheets  through  the  press  : 

* I've  raised 


A  monument  more  durable  than  brass, 
Which,  not  the  wasting  storm  nor  blast  all  impotent 
Shall  e'er  o'erthrow,  nor  yet  innumerable 
Successive  years,  nor  flight  of  time. 

51 


MEMOIR    OF    THE 
DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  CROTON  AdUEDUCT  BY  J.  B.  JERVIS, 

GENERAL    DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    LINE. 

The  Croton  Aqueduct  was  designed  to  supply  the  city  of  New  York  with  an  abun- 
dance of  pure  and  wholesome  water.  It  commences  about  six  miles  above  the  mouth  of 
the  Croton  river,  where  a  dam  has  been  constructed  to  elevate  the  water  of  the  river  40 
feet,  to  the  level  of  the  head  of  the  aqueduct,  or  166  feet  above  mean  tide.  The  course 
of  the  aqueduct  passes  along  the  valley  of  the  Croton  to  near  its  mouth,  and  thence 
passes  into  the  valley  of  the  Hudson.  At  8  miles  from  the  Croton  dam,  it  reaches  the 
village  of  Sing  Sing,  and  continues  south  through  the  villages  of  Tarrytown,  Dobbs' 
Ferry,  Hastings,  and  Yonkers. 

At  the  latter  place,  it  leaves  the  bank  of  the  Hudson,  crosses  the  valleys  of  Sawmill 
river  and  Tibbits'  brook,  thence  along  the  side  of  the  ridge  that  bounds  the  southerly  side 
of  Tibbits'  brook  valley,  to  within  34  miles  of  the  Harlem  river,  where  the  high  grounds 
of  the  Hudson  fall  away  so  much  as  to  require  the  aqueduct  to  occupy  the  summit  of  the 
country  lying  between  the  Hudson  and  East  rivers. 

This  formation  of  country  continues  to,  and  is  terminated  by,  the  Harlem  river,  at 
the  point  where  the  aqueduct  intersects  it,  which  is  one  mile  northwesterly  from 
Macombs'  dam.. 

The  length  of  the  aqueduct  from  the  Croton  dam  to  Harlem  river,  is  32.88  miles, 
for  which  distance  it  is  an  uninterrupted  conduit  of  hydraulic  stone  and  brick  masonry. 
The  high  ground  that  bounds  the  northerly  side  of  the  Harlem  river  valley,  is  very  near 
the  level  of  the  aqueduct  at  that  place  ;  and  the  width  of  the  valley  at  the  aqueduct  level 
is  about  1450  feet,  or  a  little  over  one  quarter  of  a  mile ;  over  which  a  bridge  is  designed 
to  be  constructed  (and  is  now  in  progress)  at  an  elevation  of  114  feet  above  the  level  of 
high  tide  in  the  Harlem  river,  on  which  iron  pipes  are  to  be  laid  to  convey  the  water 
across  the  valley. 

The  shore  on  the  southerly  side  of  the  river  is  a  bold,  precipitous  rock,  rising  at  an 
angle  of  about  30  degrees,  to  a  height  of  220  feet,  or  about  100  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
bottom  of  the  aqueduct. 

After  crossing  this  valley,  the  aqueduct  of  masonry  is  resumed,  and  continued  2.015 
miles,  to  the  termination  of  the  high  ground  on  the  north  side  of  Manhattan  valley. 

This  valley  is  0.792  mile  wide  at  the  level  of  the  aqueduct ;  below  which  it  descends 
102  feet.  The  conduit  of  masonry  here  gives  place  to  iron  pipes,  which  descend  into  the 
bottom  of  the  valley,  and  rise  again  to  the  proper  level  on  the  opposite  side ;  from  which 
point  the  masonry  conduit  is  again  resumed,  and  crossing  the  Asylum  ridge,  and  Clen- 
dening  valley,  is  continued  2,173  miles,,  to  the  receiving  reservoir  at  Yorkville. 

This  reservoir  is  bounded  by  86th  street  on  the  north,  79th  street  on  the  south,  7th 
Avenue  on  the  west,  and  6th  Avenue  on  the  east.  It  is  1826  "feet  long  and  836  feet  wide 
on  the  outside  angle  of  the  embankment;  containing  an  area  of  35  acres,  divided  into  two 
divisions,  and  is  (a  little  over)  5  miles  from  the  City  Hall.  From  the  receiving  reservoir, 
a  double  line  of  iron  pipes  three  feet  in  diameter,  are  laid  down  in  80th  street  and  5th 
Avenue,  to  convey  the  water  2..176  miles  to  the  distributing  reservoir  at  Murray  Hill. 
The  location  of  this  reservoir  is  on  the  5th  Avenue,  between  40th  and  42d  streets,  and  is 
three  miles  from  the  City  Hall ;  it  is  420  feet  square  on  the  cornice  of  the  exterior  wall, 


CROTON    ACIUEDUCT.  203 

and  contains  an  area  of  4.05  acres,  divided  into  two  equal  divisions,  and  has  an  average 
elevation  of  44.5  feet  above  the  level  of  the  streets  around  it. 

The  length  of  aqueduct  from  the  Croton  dam  to  the  distributing  reservoir  is  40.562 
miles — to  wit : 

Masonry  conduit  in  Westchester  county    -  32.880' 

Do.          do.     on  New  York  Island 4.187 


Total  length  37.067 

Receiving  reservoir  from  end  of  aqueduct  to  south-eastern  effluent 

gate  house    -                                                                               -  0.172 

Distributing  reservoir       -                                                                .  -  0.080 

Iron  pipes  on  bridge  over  Harlem  valley       -                                    -  0.275 

Do.    do.    across  Manhattan  valley  -  -  0.792 

Do.    do.    between  reservoirs        - 2.176 


40.562 

It  is  proper  to  add  to  the  above,  the  length  of  the  Croton  reservoir,  which  has  been 
formed  by  the  erection  of  the  Croton  dam  and  other  work  necessary  to  obtain  the  water, 
at  a  suitable  level  on  the  Croton  river,  as  without  this  dam  and  reservoir,  the  aqueduct 
would  have  required  an  extension  of  five  miles  to  reach  the  proper  level  on  the  river ; 
which  is  now  attained  by  means  of  the  dam.  The  entire  length,  therefore,  from  the  point 
on  the  Croton,  which  has  the  requisite  elevation,  to  the  distrbuting  reservoir,  is  45.562 
miles.  The  large  mains  running  from  the  distributing  reservoir,  through  the  central  part 
of  the  city,  would  add  about  four  miles,  making  the  total  length  of  the  main  conduit 
nearly  fifty  miles. 

DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    COUNTRY    THROUGH    WHICH    THE    AQ.UEDUCT    IS    LOCATED. 

The  soil,  earth,  and  rock,  of  the  country  from  the  banks  of  the  Croton  to  the  city  of 
New  York,  is  of  one  general  character.  The  line  cuts  a  small  section  of  marble  of  infe- 
rior quality,  about  two  miles  below  the  Croton  dam.  In  running  through  the  State  farm 
at  Sing  Sing,  it  passes  a  few  hundred  feet  (mostly  by  a  tunnel)  in  a  marble  of  pretty  fair 
quality  for  building ;  and  again  at  Dobbs'  Ferry  and  at  Hastings  it  lightly  cuts  a  similar 
rock  ;  at  the  latter  place  marble  has  been  got  out  to  some  extent  for  market.  No  more 
marble  was  discovered  by  constructing  the  aqueduct  until  it  reached  Harlem  river,  where 
in  excavating  two  of  the  coffer  dams  to  obtain  foundation  for  the  piers,  marble  rock  was 
found  in  the  bed  of  the  river.  This  is  supposed  to  be  a  continuation  of  the  stratum  that 
appears  in  Harlem  valley  at  the  Kingsbridge  road,  near  the  Hudson  river.  With  these 
limited  exceptions,  the  prevailing  rock  of  this  district  is  gneiss,  of  great  variety  in  quality. 
In  many  places  it  affords  excellent  building  stone  for  ordinary  purposes,  and  to  some  extent 
good  blocks  of  hewn  stone  have  been  obtained.  A  very  large  proportion,  however,  of  this 
rock  is  totally  unfit  for  building  purposes. 

The  surface  soil  is  generally  a  sandy  loam,  containing  a  very  small  proportion  of 
argillaceous  earth.  Below  the  surface  soil,  gravel,  sand,  boulders,  or  detached  rock,  have 
in  most  cases  been  found,  and  also  hard  pan  to  a  considerable  extent. 

A  large  proportion  of  the  open  cutting,  and  nearly  the  whole  tunnel  cutting,  ha.* 
been  through  rock.  More  than  400,000  cubic  yards  of  rock  have  been  excavated. 


204  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

The  general  formation  of  the  country  is  extremely  irregular,  and  unfavorable  for  the 
economical  construction  of  such  a  work. 

Commencing  at  the  Croton  dam,  on  a  level  40  feet  above  the  river,  which  descends  from 
this  point  to  tide-water,  at  the  average  rate  of  25  feet  to  the  mile,  the  grade  of  the  aque- 
duct was  compelled  to  encounter  great  irregularities  of  surface.  Very  little  regular  table- 
land could  could  be  found  for  its  location.  While  the  main  ridge  of  high  land,  that  lay 
on  the  left  of  the  line  in  Westchester  county,  controlled  the  general  location,  numerous 
spurs  of  ridges,  of  various  forms  and  extent,  bounded  by  deep  ravines,  rendered  it  im- 
possible to  avoid  deep  cutting  and  frequent  tunnelling,  through  ridges,  and  heavy 
rilling  in  the  valleys  ;  leaving  a  very  limited  proportion  of  the  line  in  favorable  cutting. 
On  the  island  of  New  York,  with  the  exception  of  about  one  mile  from  Harlem  river, 
there  was  no  leading  ridge  to  control  or  guide  the  location  ;  which  rendered  it  more 
difficult  to  decide  on  the  conflicting  claims  of  different  routes. 

There  are  on  the  line  sixteen  tunnels,  varying  in  length  from  160  to  1 263  feet,  making 
an  aggregate  length  of  6841  feet.  The  height  of  the  ridges  above  the  grade  level  at  the 
tunnels  ranges  from  25  to  75  feet. 

There  are  in  Westchester  county  twenty-five  streams  crossing  the  line  of  aqueduct, 
that  are  from  12  to  70  feet  below  the  grade  line,  and  from  25  to  83  feet  below  the  top 
covering  of  the  aqueduct.  The  most  prominent  of  the  valleys,  are  Loun sherry's,  Indian 
brook,  Sing  Sing  kill,  Mill  river,  Jewel's  brook,  and  Saw  Mill  river ;  the  foundations  of 
which  are  in  no  case  less  than  40  feet  below  the  grade  line,  or  53  feet  below  the  top 
covering  of  the  aqueduct.  Besides  those  above  mentioned,  there  are  numerous  brooks 
and  valleys  of  less  depth,  requiring  culverts,  and  artificial  foundations  to  support  the 
aqueduct.  The  level  of  mean  tide  at  Harlem  river  is  120.66  feet  below  the  grade  line  of 
the  aqueduct,  of  which  a  more  particular  description  will  be  given  hereafter. 

On  New  York  Island  there  are  several  deep  and  abrupt  valleys,  along  the  precipitous 
rocky  hill  that  bounds  the  southerly  shore  of  Harlem  river.  But  the  most  important 
valleys  on  the  island  are  Manhattan  valley,  Clendening  valley,  and  Bowne's  valley.  A 
more  particular  notice  of  Manhattan  and  Clendening  valleys  will  be  given  when  descri- 
bing the  plan  of  work,  the  manner  of  construction  for  the  others  being  similar  to  that  for 
the  valleys  of  Westchester  county. 


DESCRIPTION      OF      THE      PLAN      OF     WORK      FOR      THE      AQ.UEDUCT     AND      ITS 

APPURTENANCES. 

Aqueduct.  The  form  and  dimensions  of  the  interior  of  the  aqueduct  are  as  follows  : 
The  bottom  is  an  inverted  arch  ;  the  chord  or  span  line  is  6  feet  and  9  inches,  and  the 
versed  sine  9  inches.  The  masonry  of  the  side  walls  rises  four  feet  above  the  springing 
line  of  the  inverted  arch,  with  a  bevel  of  one  inch  to  a  foot  rise,  or  four  inches  on  each 
side,  which  brings  the  width  at  the  top  of  the  side  walls,  7  feet  and  5  inches  ;  forming  the 
abutments  of  the  roofing  arch,  which  is  a  semicircle,  having  a  radius  of  3  feet  8^ 
inches,  or  a  chord  line  of  7  feet  5  inches.  It  will  therefore  be  perceived,  the  greatest 
interior  width  is  7  feet  5  inches,  and  greatest  height  8  feet  5]  inches.  The  area  of 
the  interior  is  53.34  square.  In  rock  tunnels  the  roofing  arch  is  generally  dispensed 
with,  but  the  bottom  and  sides  are  formed  with  masonry  similar  to  that  above  described. 
There  is  an  exception  to  this  form  in  the  first  4.949  miles  of  the  upper  end  of  the 


C HO TON    ACIUEDUCT.  205 

aqueduct,  where  the  side  walls  have  an  extra  height,  on  account  of  the  bottom  being 
depressed,  to  draw  the  water  at  a  lower  level  from  the  Croton  reservoir. 

The  plan,  dimensions,  and  character  of  masonry  are  as  follows  :  In  excavation,  a 
bed  of  concrete  masonry  is  laid  down  as  a  foundation.  It  is  laid  level  across  the  bottom, 
three  inches  thick  at  the  centre  of  the  inverted  arch,  and  curved  on  its  upper  surface,  to 
form  a  bed  for  the  arch,  which  brings  it  12  inches  thick  at  the  spring  line,  and  is  carried 
three  inches  thick  under  the  side  walls  or  abutments.  The  abutments  are  2  feet  8  inches 
thick  at  the  spring  line  of  the  inverted  arch,  and  2  feet  at  the  top,  or  spring  line  of  the  roof- 
ing arch.  The  inverted  arch  is  of  brick,  4  inches  thick.  The  roofing  arch  is  also  8  inches 
thick.  The  abutments,  or  side  walls,  are  of  rubble  stone,  with  a  brick  facing  4  inches 
thick.  Spandrels  of  stone  are  carried  up  solid  from  the  exterior  angle  of  side  wall,  on  a 
line  that  is  tangent  to  the  arch.  When  the  bed  of  concrete  is  formed  for  the  inverted  arch, 
a  heavy  course  of  plastering  is  laid  over  it,  on  which  the  arch  is  laid.  When  the  stone 
work  of  the  side  walls  was  up,  the  face  that  received  the  brick  lining  had  its  irregularities 
filled  with  successive  courses  of  plastering,  and  finally  a  uniform  course  of  a  quarter  of  an 
inch  in  thickness  over  the  whole,  in  front  of  which  the  brick  facing  was  laid  up.  A  course 
of  plastering  was  also  put  over  the  roofing  arch.  The  concrete  masonry  was  formed  by 
mixing  one  part  hydraulic  cement,  three  parts  clean  sand,  and  three  parts  fine  broken 
stone  ;  in  some  cases  fine  pebbles  were  in  part  substituted  for  broken  stone.  The  masonry 
was  all  laid  up  in  hydraulic  cement,  obtained  mostly  from  the  hydraulic  lime  of  Ulster  Co. 
The  mortar  for  the  stone  work  was  composed  of  one  measure  of  cement  to  three  of  clean 
sharp  sand,  and  for  the  brick  masonry  and  plastering,  one  of  cement  to  two  of  sand.  It 
may  be  proper  to  remark,  that  every  cargo  of  cement  was  tested  by  actual  experiment, 
after  it  was  brought  on  the  ground,  before  any  was  allowed  to  be  used.  This  precaution 
has  had  a  very  salutary  influence  on  the  character  of  the  work  ;  the  cement  in  all  cases 
where  it  is  exposed  to  view,  in  its  exterior,  or  broken  up  for  examination,  or  otherwise, 
has  appeared  highly  satisfactory.  In  the  commencement  of  the  work,  there  was  much 
difficulty  in  getting  the  workmen  to  lay  their  stone  and  brick  in  a  thorough,  full  bed  of 
mortar,  which  is  obviously  very  important  in  hydraulic  masonry.  But  a  rigid  system  of 
inspection,  requiring  all  imperfect  work  to  be  taken  down  and  relaid,  was  successful  in  ob- 
taining work  of  great  compactness  and  solidity. 

The  area  of  a  cross-section  of  masonry  in  the  aqueduct  is  : 

Concrete  masonry,  -  -      4.605  ) 
Stone  in  side  walls,  21.572  V 

Do.   inspandrils,  -      2.690^28.867, 
Brick  in  arches  and  side  facing,  -  -     13.658, 


Total,  -      42,525  sqr.  feet 

A  limited  departure  from  the  above  area  has  been  made  where  peculiar  circumstances 
seemed  to  justify  or  require  it ;  the  most  important  in  extent  is,  where  the  aqueduct  passes 
over  low  grounds  or  valleys,  and  a  dry  wall  of  stone  is  raised  to  the  proper  level  to  sup- 
port the  conduit  masonry,  and  generally  for  the  depressed  bottom  on  the  4.949  miles  at 
the  upper  end  of  the  aqueduct,  and  in  a  few  other  cases  in  the  first  contracts,  where  the  bot- 
tom arch  and  brick  facing  is  8  inches  thick.  On  the  foundation  walls,  the  concrete  ma- 
sonry is  laid  one  foot  extra  thickness,  and  three  feet  extra  width ;  the  base  of  the  side 
52 


206  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

walls  is  also  increased,  and  the  proportion  of  cement  to  sand  in  concrete  and  mortar  for 
stone  work  is  one  to  two  and  a  half.  In  other  respects  the  masonry  in  conduit,  is  similar 
on  foundation  walls  to  that  in  excavation.  The  proportion  of  lime  of  aqueduct  masonry 
on  foundation  walls  over  valleys,  to  that  in  excavation,  is  about  as  one  to  eight.  The 
masonry  of  the  aqueduct  is  covered  with  earth  to  a  sufficient  depth  to  protect  it  from 
frost. 

Culverts,  To  pass  the  streams  that  intersect  the  line,  and  the  land  floods,  there  has 
been  constructed  under  the  aqueduct  114  culverts,  whose  aggregate  length  is  7959  feet. 
The  span  varies  from  one  and  a  half  foot  to  twenty-five  feet.  Those  of  one  and  a  half  foot 
span  are  of  a  square  form,  and  are  constructed  by  laying  down  a  foundation  of  concrete 
masonry,  on  which  a  course  of  well  jointed  stone,  not  less  than  nine  inches  thick  is  laid, 
forming  a  stone  platform  on  which  well  dressed  stone  is  laid,  one  or  two  courses  high,  for 
the  abntments  or  side  walls,  and  finished  by  a  second  course  of  well  dressed  flagging,  not 
less  than  nine  inches  thick ;  all  the  work  laid  in  hydraulic  mortar.  The  culverts  over 
one  and  a  half  foot  span,  with  the  exception  of  three  of  twenty-five  feet  span,  are  con- 
structed as  follows  : 

A  foundation  of  concrete  masonry  is  formed,  and  in  a  few  instances  some  timber  and 
plank  is  used  with  it ;  on  this  an  inverted  arch  of  well  dressed  stone  is  laid  in  regular 
courses,  to  form  the  bottom  channel  of  the  culvert ;  side  walls  or  abutments  are  thence 
raised  to  such  height  as  required,  the  face  being  well  dressed  stone,  laid  up  in  courses, 
and  backed  with  rough  dressed  work.  An  arch  is  then  turned  from  the  abutments,  with 
well  dressed  stone  in  regular  courses.  Wing  walls  at  the  ends  are  constructed  in  differ- 
ent forms  as  circumstances  required. 

The  character  of  masonry  in  the  large  25  feet  culverts  is  similar  to  that  above  de- 
scribed, except  they  have  no  inverted  arch. 

There  are  five  road  culverts  of  from  14  to  20  feet  span,  constructed  of  masonry  of 
the  same  character.  All  the  culverts  are  of  stone  laid  in  hydraulic  cement. 

Ventilators.  There  are  33  ventilators  constructed  to  give  free  circulation  of  air 
through  the  aqueduct.  Eleven  of  them  are  constructed  with  doors  that  admit  an  easy 
entrance  into  the  aqueduct.  They  rise  14  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  ground  over  the 
aqueduct,  and  are  constructed  with  well  dressed  stone,  circular  in  their  form,  slightly  bev- 
eling or  tapering  towards  the  top,  where  the  opening  is  15  inches  in  diameter.  They  are 
placed  at  a  uniform  distance  of  one  mile,  except  where  they  are  rendered  unnecessary  by 
a  waste  weir,  which  serves  all  the  purposes  of  a  ventilator.  At  this  distance  apart,  they 
are  found  to  afford  a  free  and  sufficient  ventilation. 

Waste  Weirs.  There  are  six  waste  weirs  constructed  on  the  line  of  aqueduct,  so 
arranged  as  to  allow  the  water  to  pass  off  when  it  rises  to  the  proper  height ;  with  gates 
to  draw  the  water  from  the  aqueduct  when  necessary.  They  are  constructed  with  well 
dressed  stone  ;  the  gates  and  gate  frames  are  of  cast  iron,  fitted  to  stone  jambs  and  lintels  ; 
the  frames  are  faced  with  brass  for  the  gates  to  work  against,  and  the  gates  are  operated 
by  a  wrought  iron  screw  rod  and  brass  nut,  working  in  a  cast  iron  socket.  The  water 
from  the  weir  or  gates,  falls  into  a  well,,  and  is  then  carried  off  through  a  culvert  to  the 
outside  channel.  A  stone  building  with  a  brick  arched  roof  is  erected,  so  as  to  inclose 
the  waste  weir  and  its  appurtenances. 

Croton  Dam.  The  southern  shore  of  the  Croton  river  at  the  point  where  the  dam 
is  located,  is  a  gneiss  rock  ;  moderately  sloping  up  the  hill  from  the  water's  edge,  but  not 
appearing  to  extend  far  into  the  river.  The  dam  required  to  be  raised  40  feet  above  low 


CROTON    AQUEDUCT.  207 

water  in  the  river  ;  and  it  was  an  important  object  to  arrange  the  plan  so  as  to  obtain  a 
rock  foundation  for  the  masonry. 

To  effect  this,  the  northern  abutment  was  located  as  far  in  the  river  as  the  rock  was 
supposed  to  extend,  and  from  this  to  build  up  the  dam  to  the  level  where  the  top  line  in- 
tersected the  natural  slope  of  the  hill,  and  then  to  cut  the  hill  away;  making  an  opening 
sufficient  for  the  waste  weir  of  the  dam. 

In  prosecuting  the  work,  it  was  found  the  rock  descended  more  rapidly  into  the  river 
than  was  supposed,  which  induced  the  moving  of  the  abutment  further  towards  the  hill 
than  at  first  located  ;  and  finally,  an  artificial  foundation  had  to  be  made  for  a  small  por- 
tion of  it.  It  was  intended  to  make  the  waste  of  the  dam  100  feet,  with  abutments  of  eight 
feet  high;  but  in  consequence  of  the  disappointment  in  regard  to  the  extent  of  the  rock  in 
the  river,  it  was  found  difficult  to  obtain  the  desired  length  of  the  water  way,  and  it  was 
concluded  to  raise  the  abutment  to  12  feet  at  the  lower  end,  and  15  feet  at  the  upper  end, 
and  allow  the  water  way  to  remain  an  average  length  of  90  feet  for  this  height.  The 
natural  rock  formed  the  southern  abutment,  and  the  aqueduct  being  on  this  side,  the  water 
was  conducted  to  the  gateway  at  its  head,  by  a  tunnel,  cut  180  feet  through  the  rock ;  this 
allowed  the  gateway  to  be  located  on  solid  rock,  in  a  situation  not  exposed  to  the  floods 
of  the  river.  The  water  enters  the  gate  chamber  by  an  archway  through  the  second 
bulk-head.  The  gate  chamber  is  provided  with  a  double  set  of  gates  ;  one  set  of  guard 
gates,  of  cast  iron  set  in  cast  iron,  frames,  and  one  set  of  regulating  gates,  made  of  gun 
metal,  set  in  frames  of  the  same  material ;  the  gates  are  all  18  by  40  inches,  and  there  are 
nine  gates  in  each  set.  They  are  all  operated  by  means  of  wrought  iron  screw  rods. 

The  gate  chamber  and  bulk-heads  are  constructed  of  well  dressed  masonry,  laid  up 
in  hydraulic  cement. 

In  the  north  abutment  a  waste  culvert  has  been  constructed,  with  suitable  gates  of 
cast  iron,  to  draw  the  water  down  in  the  reservoir  at  such  times  as  it  may  be  necessary,  to 
facilitate  the  making  of  any  repairs  that  may  be  required,  and  to  discharge  the  river  at  or- 
dinary times  during  the  construction  of  the  work.  From  this  abutment  the  old  channel 
of  the  river  was  filled  by  an  embankment,  with  a  heavy  protection  wall  on  the  lower  side, 
which  was  raised  15  feet  above  the  waste  weir  of  the  dam,  and  designed  to  be  50  feet 
wide  on  the  top,  but  was  not  completed  the  full  width,  when  the  unprecedented  flood  of 
January,  1841,  carried  it  away.  The  embankment  stood  well,  and  gave  no  indications  of 
failure,  until  the  water  rose  to  near  the  surface,  and  passed  through  between  the  frozen  and 
unfrozen  earth  about  20  inches  below  the  top.  After  the  breach  was  made  in  the  embank- 
ment, large  masses  of  heavy  ice  came  down  from  the  reservoir,  which  soon  broke  down 
the  unfinished  protection  wall,  and  carried  off  nearly  the  whole  embankment.  The  ma- 
sonry of  the  dam  and  abutment  sustained  but  little  injury.  Such  a  flood  had  not  been 
anticipated,  and  the  water  way  proved  insufficient  to  pass  it  off.  Had  the  embankment 
been  completed  the  full  width,  and  the  protection  wall  carried  up  to  the  full  height  it  was 
intended  to  carry  it,  the  work  might  have  proved  adequate  to  the  emergency.  It  was 
determined  to  fill  the  gap  made  by  this  breach,  (about  200  feet  long,)  by  a  structure  of  hy- 
draulic stone  masonry,  adapting  180  feet  as  waste  weir.  This  work  presented  all  the 
difficulties  it  was  originally  intended  to  avoid,  by  carrying  the  work  partially  into  the  hill. 
It  was  necessary  to  form  an  artificial  foundation,  and  carry  up  a  heavy  body  of  masonry, 
in  the  channel  of  the  river,  which  in  some  parts  had  15  feet  in  depth  below  its  ordinary 
level ;  subject  in  ordinary  seasons  to  frequent  and  sudden  floods,  and  affording  no  means 
to  form  another  channel  for  it  to  pass,  until  the  work  could  be  accomplished. 


208  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

Had  it  been  admissible  to  construct  the  dam  with  timber,  the  difficulties  would  have 
been  far  less.  But  the  importance  of  the  object  it  was  designed  to  secure,  arid  its  great 
height,  demanded  the  most  permanent  and  durable  structure  that  could  be  made. 

The  greatest  height  of  the  weir  of  the  dam  is  40  feet  above  the  low-water  level,  and 
55  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  river.  The  width  of  masonry,  at  low-water  line  of  river,  is 
61  feet. 

The  form  on  the  lower  face  commences  on  a  curve,  described  by  a  radius  of  55  feet, 
and  continues  to  within  about  10  feet  of  tho  top,  when  a  reversed  curve,  on  a  radius  of  10  feet, 
carries  the  face  over  and  meets  the  back  line  of  the  wall.  The  back  line  is  carried  up  ver- 
tically,  with  occasional  offsets.  The  main  body  of  the  work  is  laid  up  of  rough  stone  ; 
the  curved  face  of  large  and  closely  cut  stone,  with  four  heavy  courses  at  the  bottom  dove- 
tailed together,  the  joints  cut  to  the  line  of  radius  of  curve. 

Above  the  masonry  an  embankment  of  earth  is  filled  in,  and  extends  to  275  feet  in 
width  on  the  bottom,  with  a  slope  of  one  to  five  on  the  up-stream  face.  The  north  end 
of  the  new  weir  is  germinated  by  an  abutment  that  rises  12  feet  above  it.  From  the  toe  of 
the  masonry  an  apron  is  extended  35  feet,  composed  of  hewn  timber  secured  by  ties,  bolts, 
and  treenails,  in  a  very  substantial  manner,  and  filled  for  16  feet  from  the  stone  work, 
with  concrete  masonry,  and  the  remainder  with  loose  stone,  and  covered  with  a  course  of 
6  inch  white  elm  plank.  A  second  apron  is  partly  made  which  is  to  extend  30  feet 
further. 

At  300  feet  below  the  main  dam,  a  second  dam  is  in  progress,  which  is  to  be  9  feet 
high,  constructed  of  timber,  stone  and  gravel,  which  will  set  the  water  back  over  the 
apron  of  the  main  dam,  and  form  a  pool  to  check  the  water  as  it  falls  on  it. 

A  coffer  dam  was  constructed  in  the  river  to  inclose  about  120  feet  of  the  work,  from 
which  the  water  was  pumped  by  a  steam  engine,  and  a  concrete  foundation  laid  down  on 
a  very  firm  hard  pan.  The  remainder  of  the  foundation  was  made  by  sinking  timber 
piers  at  suitable  distances,  running  parallel  with  the  dam,  and  filling  the  spaces  between 
them  with  concrete  masonry.  In  preparing  the  specifications  for  this  work,  the  method 
and  order  of  prosecuting  it  was  particularly  designed,  and  from  which  no  material 
departure  has  been  found  necessary ;  the  structure  is  now  nearly  completed. 

The  contractors,  Messrs.  McCullough,  Black,  McManus,  and  Hepburn,  have  evinced 
a  highly  commendable  energy  and  ability  in  its  prosecution. 

This  dam  sets  the  water  of  the  river  back  five  miles,  and  forms  a  reservoir  of  about 
four  hundred  acres,  and  has  rendered  it  necessary  to  construct  several  new  roads  and 
bridges  as  a  substitute  for  those  covered  by  the  flow,  the  principal  of  which  is  the  So- 
merstown  turnpike.  The  grounds  lightly  flowed  on  the  margin,  have  been  excavated  so 
as  to  give  4  A  feet  for  the  least  depth  of  water.  From  this  reservoir  the  water  flows  into 
the  bulk-head,  at  the  upper  end  of  the  tunnel,  from  a  level  averaging  10  feet  below  the 
surface. 

AQUEDUCT  BRIDGE  AT  SING  SING.  The  Sing  Sing  kill,,  where  it  crosses  the  line  of 
aqueduct,  runs  in  a  deep  and  narrow  gulf,  the  bottom  of  which  is  63  feet  below  the  grade 
line,  or  76  feet  below  the  top  covering  of  the  masonry.  Over  this  gulf  an  aqueduct 
bridge  has  been  constructed.  Near  the  north  end  of  the  valley  that  spreads  out  from  this 
gulf^  a  road  culvert,  or  arched  viaduct  has  been  constructed  under  the  conduit.  The 
principal  work  here  is  the  large  arch  directly  over  the  gulf.  It  is  88  feet  span,  and  33 
feet  rise ;  the  form  is  an  oval  drawn  from  five  centres  ;  the  abutments  are  commenced  on 


GROT ON    AaUEDUCT.  209 

the  solid  rock,  near  the  bottom  of  the  gulf.  The  work  is  constructed  of  well  dressed 
stone  masonry,  laid  in  hydraulic  cement.  Open  hance  walls  are  carried  up  over  the  inte- 
rior and  above  the  solid  spandrels,  and  united  at  the  top  by  brick  arches.  The  spaces 
between  the  hance  walls  are  carried  entirely  across  the  crown  of  the  arch,  to  afford  as 
much  facility  as  possible  for  any  water  that  might  leak  from  the  conduit  to  pass  off.  The 
depth  of  arch  stone  at  the  spring  line  is  four  feet,  and  at  the  crown  three  feet.  The  para- 
pets and  walls  of  the  conduit  are  carried  up  with  an  opening  of  six  inches  between  them, 
more  effectually  to  guard  against  the  effects  of  frost,  and  to  carry  off  any  water  that  might 
leak  from  the  conduit,  and  prevent  its  being  absorbed  by  the  outer  or  parapet  wall.  The 
conduit  over  this  bridge  is  constructed  of  stone  and  brick  masonry,  so  arranged  as  to 
receive  a  lining  of  cast  iron ;  the  iron  being  set  back  so  as  to  receive  a  facing  of  brick 
over  the  bottom  and  sides,  which  is  further  secured  by  three  courses  of  hydraulic  cement 
plastering. 

It  is  not  probable  that  any  considerable  quantity  of  water  would  have  escaped,  if 
there  had  been  no  other  security  than  the  stone  and  brick  masonry  ;  but  it  is  hardly  possible 
to  make  masonry  so  perfectly  impervious,  that  it  will  not  show  wet,  or  a  sweating  appear- 
ance on  the  exterior  wall,  and  the  action  of  frost  in  this  climate,  will  produce  in  such 
cases  a  deterioration,  that  may  be  slow,  but  will  eventually  destroy  the  work  ;  hence  the 
importance  of  using  every  precaution  to  guard  against  the  smallest  leakage.  This  bridge 
was  erected  under  the  contract  of  Young  and  Scott  of  Philadelphia,  and  the  work  con- 
ducted by  Andrew  Young  (of  the  firm),  who  was  the  first  contractor  to  commence  work 
on  the  aqueduct.  It  is  due  to  Mr.  Young  to  say,  this  work  was  thoroughly  executed ; 
the  arch  proved  this,  when  on  striking  the  centres,  it  did  not  settle  over  ^  of  an  inch,  and 
has  not  changed  since.  This  I  consider  a  very  small  settlement  for  so  large  an  arch. 

HARLEM    RIVER    BRIDGE. 

The  width  of  the  river  at  the  place  where  the  aqueduct  line  crosses  it,  is  620  feet  at 
ordinary  high  water  mark ;  as  has  been  before  stated,  the  shore  on  the  southern  side  is  a 
bold  rock  rising  from  the  water's  edge,  at  an  angle  of  about  30  degrees,  to  a  height  of  220 
feet ;  on  the  northern  side,  a  strip  of  table  land  forms  the  shore,  and  extends  back  from  the 
river  400  feet  to  the  foot  of  a  rocky  hill,  which  rises  at  an  angle  of  about  20  degrees  to  a 
few  feet  above  the  level  of  the  aqueduct ;  the  table-land  is  elevated  about  30  feet  above 
the  river  ;  the  channel  of  the  river  to  which  the  water  is  reduced  at  very  low  ebb  tides,  is 
300  feet  wide,  and  the  greatest  depth  16  feet ;  each  side  of  the  channel  the  bed  is  a  deep 
mud,  covered  from  three  to  four  feet  at  ordinary  flood  tide  ;  next  below  the  mud  there  is 
a  thin  stratum  of  sand,  and  this  is  followed  by  a  stratum  of  sand  and  large  boulders  inter- 
mixed ;  below  the  stratum  of  boulders,  or  detached  rock,  there  has  been  found  in  the  cof- 
fer dams  for  two  piers,  Nos.  8  and  9,  a  compact  marble  rock,  and  in  the  coffers  for  Nos.  7 
and  10,  a  stratum  of  clay  and  sand,  that  is  quite  impervious  to  water,  and  affords  a  good 
medium  for  piling. 

The  general  plan  of  the  bridge  now  in  progress  of  construction,  is  as  follows : 
Across  the  river  there  are  8  arches,  each  of  80  feet  span,  resting  on  piers  that  are  at  each 
extremity  and  in  the  centre  20  feet  wide  at  the  spring  line  of  the  arches,  with  intermedi- 
ate piers  that  are  14  feet  wide  at  the  spring  line  ;  on  the  south  of  this  range  of  large  arches 
there  is  one  arch,  and  on  the  no«rth  6  arches,  each  of  50  feet  span,  resting  on  piers  7  feet 
wide  at  the  spring  line,  and  two  abutments  that  terminate  the  arch  work  of  the  bridge. 
From  the  abutments  a  continuous  foundation  wall  of  dry  stone  work  is  extended  to  the 
gate  chambers  on  each  side. 
53 


210  MEMOIR    OF    THE" 

The  whole  length  of  the  bridge  is  1450  feet ;  the  height  of  the  river  piers  above  high 
water  line  is  60  feet  to  the  spring  of  the  arches,  and  95  feet  above  the  lowest  foundation 
that  has  been  put  down  ;  the  arehes  are  semicircular,  and  the  height  100  feet  to  the  soffit. 
or  under  side,  at  crown — to  the  top  of  the  parapets  114  feet  above  the  ordinary  high 
water  line  of  the  river,  and  149  feet  above  the  lowest  foundation  of  the  piers  that  have 
been  commenced.  The  width  across,  on  the  top  of  the  parapets,  is  21  feet ;  the  exterior 
of  piers,  spandrels  and  parapets  has  a  bevel  of  1  to  48,  and  have  openings  in  the  interior 
walls. 

The  space  between  the  parapets  is  arranged  to  receive  and  protect  from  frost  two  cast 
iron  pipes,  each  four  feet  in  diameter,  which  are  to  lie  12  feet  below  the  grade  line  of  the 
aqueduct,  to  which  they  will  descend  from  the  gate  chambers  at  the  ends  of  the  bridge. 
The  object  of  using  pipes  in  this  case,  is,  more  effectually  to  secure  the  conduit  from  leak- 
age, that  might  eventually  injure  the  masonry  of  the  bridge,  and  it  incidentally  allows  the 
bridge  to  be  constructed  of  less  height. 

To  make  the  capacity  of  the  pipes  for  conveying  water  equal  to  that  of  the  aqueduct, 
an  extra  fall  of  two  feet  has  been  given  across  the  bridge,  and  the  aqueduct  on  the 
southern  side  of  the  river  is  constructed  two  feet  lower  than  the  regular  grade,  to  accom- 
modate this  arrangement.  It  is  intended  in  the  first  place  to  put  down  pipes  3  feet  in 
diameter,  and  to  increase  the  size  as  the  wants  of  the  city  may  require. 

The  foundations  of  all  the  land  piers  but  two  have  been  put  down,  with  bearing  piles 
to  support  them  ;  they  are  placed  below  high  water  line  ;  and  5  to  6  of  the  base  courses 
of  masonry  have  been  laid  on  each  ;  the  remaining  land  pier  and  both  abutments  will 
have  a  rock  foundation.  There  are  seven  piers  in  the  river,,  the  foundations  of  four  of 
which  have  been  laid;  for  two  of  them  solid  rock  has  been  obtained  at  a  depth  below 
high  water  line  of  17  feet  for  one,  and  35  feet  for  the  other.  The  pier  next  the  northern 
shore  has  a  piled  foundation  ;  to  prepare  it,  an  excavation  of  16  feet  was  made,  passing 
through  the  strata  of  mud,  sand  and  detached  rock,  whence  the  piles  could  be  properly 
driven. 

The  piles  were  of  oak,  from  16  to  35  feet  long,  and  driven  at  2k  feet  apart  from 
centre  to  centre.  The  other  pier,  (called  No.  10  in  the  general  series,)  for  which  a  piled 
foundation  has  been  prepared,  is  near  the  centre  of  the  river  channel.  The  stratum  of 
boulders  lies  much  lower  at  this  place,  and  required  an  excavation  to  be  carried  30  feet 
below  common  high  water  line,  before  a  suitable  stratum  for  driving  piles  could  be  reach- 
ed. When  the  excavation  was  carried  to  this  depth,  boring  was  made  to  ascertain  if  rock 
could  be  found  for  the  foundation  ;  but  after  going  down  Avithout  success  to  a  depth  of  70 
feet  below  high  water,  the  effort  was  abandoned,  and  the  driving  of  piles  commenced,  as 
the  only  means  of  securing  the  foundation.  The  piles  were  driven  at  three  feet  apart 
from  centre  to  centre,  to  the  depth  of  30  to  35  feet. 

It  may  be  remarked,  that  all  the  piling  for  the  bridge  has  "  come  home"  with  great 
regularity  and  firmness,  and  gives  great  confidence  that  it  will  afford  an  unyielding  sup- 
port to  the  structure.  The  foundations  for  the  water  piers  are  yet  to  be  put  down  ;  two  of 
them  will  probably  require  bearing  piles  to  support  them,  and  rock  is  expected  to  be 
found  for  the  other.  The  coffer  dams  are  all  put  down  and  embanked,  and  the  work  of 
emptying  them  is  soon  to  commence. 

A  temporary  pipe  3  feet  in  diameter  is  laid  down,  (partly  on  the  embankment  of  the 
coffer  dams,)  which  now  conveys  the  water  across  this  valley. 

Gate  chambers  are  arranged  at  each  end  of  the  bridge,  with  gates  to  regulate  the 


CROTON    AdUEDUCt: 

water,  and  the  one  on  the  north  end  has  a  waste  weir  to  discharge  the  surplus  water 
{hat  at  any  time  the  pipes  might  not  be  able  to  carry. 

The  bridge  is  to  be  constructed  of  well  dressed  granite. 

It  may  very  properly  be  inquired,  if  the  water  can  be  carried  temporarily  across  this 
valley  by  iron  pipes,  why  construct  this  expensive  bridge  ?  The  reply  is,  that  a  plan 
was  prepared,  and  the  work  put  under  contract,  to  construct  a  low  bridge  with  one  arch 
for  water  way  ;  but  a  supposed  value  which  was  attached  to  the  future  navigation  of  the 
river,  was  so  pressed  upon  the  Legislature,  as  to  induce  them  to  pass  a  law,  requiring  that 
the  under  side  of  the  arches  should  be  100  feet  above  ordinary  high  tide  in  the  river. 
The  law,  therefore,  and  not  the  otherwise  necessity  of  the  case,  has  controlled  the  plan 
for  crossing  this  valley. 

MANHATTAN   VALLEY. 

The  water  is  conveyed  across  this  valley  by  means  of  iron  pipes.  A  gate  cham- 
ber is  placed  on  each  side,  by  which  a  connection  is  formed  between  the  conduit  of 
masonry  and  the  iron  pipes,  and  gates  prepared  for  regulating  the  flow  of  water  in  the 
same  manner  as  before  described  for  Harlem  River.  The  width  of  the  valley  is  0.7917 
miles  from  gate  chamber  to  gate  chamber,  and  the  depth  at  which  the  pipes  are  laid  in  the 
centre  is  102  feet.  Two  cast  iron  pipes,  each  three  feet  in  diameter,  are  laid  down,  and 
provision  made  for  two  more,  to  be  laid  when  they  shall  be  required  for  the  wants  of  the 
city.  In  order  to  give  the  pipes  sufficient  capacity  to  discharge  the  quantity  of  water  re- 
quired, an  extra  head  of  three  feet  is  given  in  crossing  the  valley. 

CLENDENING     BRIDGE 

This  bridge  is  constructed  over  a  valley  of  the  same  name,  that  is  situated  about 
equally  distant  between  Manhattan  valley  and  the  receiving  reservoir.  The  greatest 
depression  is  50  feet,  below  top  of  aqueduct,  and  the  valley  is  1900  feet  across. 

The  line  of  aqueduct  runs  100  feet  westerly  of,  and  parallel  to,  the  9th  Avenue. 

In  the  plan  of  the  city,  streets  are  laid  out,  but  not  yet  opened,  that  cross  the  aqueduct 
at  right  angles.  For  three  of  the  streets  archways  are  constructed  under  the  aqueduct  for 
their  accommodation  when  they  may  be  opened  for  use.  The  archways  for  each  street 
are,  one  for  carriage-way  of  30  feet  span,  and  an  arch  on  each  side  for  side  walks  of  10j 
feet  span.  The  style  of  masonry  is  similar  to  that  before  described  for  the  Sing  Sing 
bridge,  and  the  same  method  of  open  walls  arid  cast  iron  lining  is  also  adopted.  That 
part  of  the  bridge  which  has  no  provision  for  street  arches,  is  composed  of  a  continuous 
wall  of  masonry,  carried  up  on  a  bevel  of  one-twelfth  its  rise  to  the  grade  line  of  the  aque- 
duct, where  it  is  30  feet  wide ;  the  outside  or  face  of  this  wall  for  one  foot  in  breadth,  is 
laid  in  hydraulic  mortar,  and  the  remainder  is  laid  dry.  The  method  of  laying  up  this 
dry  masonry  was  to  lay  a  course  of  large  stone  in  such  a  manner  as  to  give  them  the  great- 
est solidity,  and  within  a  few  inches  of  each  other;  after  the  course  was  laid  over  the 
work,  the  interstices  were  thoroughly  filled  with  small  broken  stone,  well  pounded  in,  and 
levelled  up  to  receive  the  succeeding  course.  (The  same  plan  was  adopted  in  all  the  dry 
foundations  which  were  laid  up  to  support  the  conduit  over  low  grounds.)  After  the 
foundation  was  carried  up  to  the  proper  height  for  the  conduit  masonry,  parapets  of  hy- 
draulic masonry  were  carried  up  to  the  level  of  the  roofing  arch  of  conduit,  between  which 
the  conduit  masonry  of  the  usual  form  (excepting  the  side  walls,  which  were  12  inches  ex* 


212  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

tra  thickness)  has  been  constructed,  and  covered  with  earth  to  protect  the  sides  and  top 
from  frost ;  the  earth  covering  being  secured  by  turfing  carried  over  from  parapet  to  para- 
pet. The  work  presents  a  very  substantial  and  finished  appearance. 

RECEIVING  RESERVOIR. — This  reservoir  is  1826  feet  long  and  836  feet  wide,  and  in- 
cluding its  embankments  contains  35.05  acres,  and  its  area  at  top  water  line,  31  acres,  di- 
vided into  two  divisions ;  the  northern  division  is  designed  to  contain  20  feet  depth  of 
water,  and  the  southern  30  feet  depth.  But  they  are  not  fully  excavated  in  some  parts, 
where  rock  occurs,  it  not  being  deemed  sufficiently  important  to  incur  the  expense  of  ex- 
cavation in  rock  for  the  increased  capacity  that  would  be  obtained.  The  reservoir  has  a 
capacity  of  150,000,000  imperial  gallons,  as  it  now  stands.  The  reservoir  is  formed  with 
earth  banks,  the  interior  having  regular  puddled  walls  to  render  them  impervious  to  water  ; 
the  outside  protected  by  a  stone  wall,  laid  up  on  a  slope  of  one  horizontal  to  three  vertical, 
the  face  laid  in  cement  mortar,  and  the  inside  dry ;  the  inside  is  protected  by  a  dry  slope 
wall,  laid  on  the  face  of  the  embankment,  which  slopes  1|  horizontal  to  one  vertical.  The 
embankments  are  raised  four  feet  above  the  top  of  water  line,  and  are  18  feet  wide  on  the 
top,  excepting  the  high  banks  on  the  sourthern  division  and  the  western  bank  on  the 
northern  division,  which  are  21  feet  wide.  The  greater  part  of  the  embankments  for  the 
northern  division  are  of  moderate  height ;  but  a  portion  of  the  eastern  and  western  banks 
of  the  southern  division  are  38  feet  high  above  their  base.  Vaults  or  brick  arch  ways. are 
constructed,  in  which  iron  pipes  are  laid,  so  arranged  that  the  pipes  from  the  northern  di- 
vision connect  with  those  from  the  southern  division,  and  thence  pass  off  to  the  distributing 
reservoir,  and  to  supply  the  adjacent  districts.  The  main  vault  is  on  the  eastern  side  ;  it  is 
540  feet  long  and  is  16  feet  span  ;  that  on  the  western  side  is  400  feet  in  length,  and  8  feet 
span  ;  designed  for  supplying  at  a  future  day  the  district  on  the  north  river  side  above  42d 
street.  The  pipes  are  all  provided  with  stop  cocks,  and  so  arranged  that  they  can  receive 
the  water  from  either  division  ;  except  one  pipe  from  each  division,  that  leads  to  the  dis- 
tributing reservoir.  It  is  intended  to  carry  three  lines  of  pipes,  each  three  feet  diameter  to 
the  distributing  reservoir,  (at  present  only  two  lines  are  put  down,)  and  the  arrangement 
will  allow  two  pipes  to  be  drawn  from  either  division,  so  that  in  the  event  of  emptying 
one  division  for  repairs,  the  other  would  supply  two  pipes  for  the  distributing  reservoir,  and 
all  other  pipes  having  a  connection  with  each  division  would  be  in  full  supply,  notwith- 
standing the  suspension  of  one  division.  A  pipe  is  put  through  the  division  bank,  with  a 
stop  cock,  to  allow  the  water  or  not,  as  may  be  desired,  to  pass  from  one  division  to  the 
other. 

The  aqueduct  intersects  the  reservoir  at  right  angles  with  its  westerly  line,  and  252 
feet  south  of  the  north-westerly  corner. 

At  this  point  a  gate  chamber  is  constructed,  with  one  set  of  gates  to  pass  the  water 
into  the  northern  division,  and  another  set  to  pass  it  into  a  continued  conduit  of  masonry, 
constructed  within  the  embankment  of  the  reservoir,  to  the  angle  of  the  southern  division, 
where  it  enters  by  a  brick  sluice  into  this  division.  This  arrangement  gives  the  power  of 
directing  the  water  into  either  division,  or  both,  at  the  same  time,  as  may  be  desired. 

In  the  division  bank,  a  waste  weir  is  constructed  to  carry  off  the  surplus  water  from 
either  division,  when  it  rises  to  the  proper  height. 

DISTRIBUTING  RESERVOIR.  This  reservoir  occupies  the  highest  ground  in  the 
vicinity,  and  higher  1  han  any  part  of  the  city  south  of  it ;  the  site  is  generally  known  as 
Murray  Hill. 

In  order  to  mair  tain  the  elevation  of  the  water,  it  was  necessary  to  raise  the  walls  of 


CROTON    AdUEDUCT.  21$ 

ihe  reservoir  to  an  avarege  height  of  45  £  feet  above  the  grade  of  the  streets  that  bounded  it 
on  three  sides,  the  greatest  height  being  49  feet,  and  the  least  39  feet ;  the  foundations 
were  sunk  five  feet  below  the  grade  of  the  streets.  The  walls  are  of  hydraulic  stone 
masonry,  constructed  with  openings,  to  reduce  the  quantity  of  masonry  and  give  a  more 
enlarged  base. 

The  openings  are  made  by  an  exterior  and  interior  wall,  connected  at  every  ten  feet  by 
cross  walls,  which  are  carried  up  to  within  17  feet  of  the  top,  and  there  connected  by  a 
brick  arch  thrown  from  one  to  the  other,  and  the  spandrels  between  them  levelled  up  solid, 
and  a  course  of  concrete  put  over  the  whole,  6  inches  thick,  which  reaches  a  level  10  feet 
below  the  top,  whence  the  exterior  wail  is  carried  up  single  to  the  top. 

The  exterior  wall  has  a  bevel  of  one  to  six,  and  is  uniformly  four  feet  thick  from  the 
bottom  to  the  top  of  the  connecting  arches  •  the  inner  wall  is  carried  up  plumb,  with  off- 
sets, the  lower  section  six  feet  thick,  the  middle  section  five  feet,  and  the  upper  section 
four  feet  thick.  The  space  between  the  exterior  and  interior  walls,  at  41  feet  below  the 
top,  is  14  feet,  or  24  feet  from  the  outside  of  exterior  to  inside  of  interior  walls ;  and  the 
space  between  them  at  the  spring  of  connecting  arches,  in  consequence  of  the  bevel  of  the 
exterior  wall,  is  reduced  to  9  feet  and  9  inches,  and  from  outside  of  exterior  to  inside  of 
interior  walls  17,75  feet 

The  cross  walls  are  four  feet  thick  at  bottom,  and  have  one  offset  of  six  inches  on 
each  side  at  8  feet  below  the  spring  line  of  connecting  arches ;  they  have  an  opening  6 
feet  high,  and  1^  feet  wide,  at  a  suitable  level  near  the  bottom,  to  allow  a  drain  to  be 
formed,  to  collect  any  water  that  may  leak  through  the  work,  and  carry  it  off  in  sewers 
provided  for  that  purpose,  and  also  to  allow  persons  to  go  in  and  examine  the  work. 

Some  modifications  in  the  cross  walls  are  made  to  accommodate  the  gate  chambers, 
and  connect  the  corners  of  the  work.  On  each  corner  of  the  reservoir,  pilasters  40  feet  in 
width  are  raised,  projecting  four  feet  from  the  main  wall,  and  in  the  centre,  on  the  streets 
and  5th  Avenue,  there  are  pilasters  60  feet  wide  and  projecting  6  feet  from  the  wall.  The 
pilaster  in  the  centre,  on  the  5th  Avenue,  rises  7  feet  above  the  main  wall,  and  all  the 
others  4  feet  above.  Doors  are  placed  in  the  central  pilasters  on  40th  and  42d  streets, 
which  give  access  to  the  pipe  chambers,  to  work  the  influent  and  effluent  stop-cocks,  from 
which  chambers,  an  entrance  is  made  to  the  openings  in  the  walls. 

In  the  central  pilaster  on  the  5th  Avenue,  an  entrance  is  made  by  a  door  to  a  stair- 
way that  leads  up  to  the  top  of  the  walls.  On  the  outside  walls,  an  Egyptian  cornice  is 
laid,  which  accords  with  the  general  style  of  the  work.  The  pilasters  are  laid  in  courses, 
and  well  dressed  ashlar  face,  and  the  main  wall  with  coursed  rubble  work,  rough  ham- 
mer-dressed. Inside  of  the  walls  of  masonry,  a  thorough  puddled  embankment  of  suita- 
ble earth  is  formed,  fifty-eight  and  one-third  feet  wide  at  the  line  of  reservoir  bottom,  and 
sloping  on  the  inside  face  one  and  a  half  to  one  for  24  feet  high,  and  one  to  one  for  the 
remaining  16  feet  high,  arid  making  with  the  walls  on  top  a  width  of  17  feet ;  the  faces 
of  the  banks  are  lined  with  a  course  of  rubble  hydraulic  masonry  15  inches  thick,  and 
coped  with  dressed  stone.  The  bottom  is  a  very  impervious  hard-pan,  on  which  two  feet 
of  puddled  earth  is  laid,  and  this  covered  by  12  inches  of  hydraulic  concrete.  The  reser- 
voir is  divided  into  two  divisions  by  a  wall  of  hydraulic  masonry,  at  the  toe  of  which  a 
sloping  bank  of  puddled  earth  is  raised  18  feet  high  and  covered  with  rubble  masonry ; 
this  wall  is  19  feet  thick  at  the  bottom,  six  and  two-third  feet  thick  at  top  water  line,  and 
four  feet  at  top.  In  this  wall  a  waste  weir  is  placed,  with  a  well  of  two  falls,  together  52 
feet,  from  which  the  waste  water  enters  a  sewer  in  42d  street,  and  passes  off  about  one 
54 


£14  MEMOIR    OF 

mile  to  the  Hudson  river.  In  each  division  there  is  a  waste  cock  to  draw  the  water  from 
the  bottom. 

The  reservoir  is  designed  for  36  feet  of  water,  and,  when  full,  will  stand  115  feet 
above  mean  tide.  The  walls  rise  4  feet  above  the  water  line.  An  iron  railing  is  to  be 
placed  around  the  walls  on  top  of  the  cornice.  The  capacity  of  this  reservoir  is 
20,000,000  imperial  gallons. 

GRADE  LINE  OF  AQUEDUCT.  The  general  declivity  of  the  aqueduct  in  Westches- 
ter  county  is  0.021  foot  per  hundred,  or  a  fraction  over  13j  inches  per  mile.* 

The  top  of  the  conduit  pursuing  this  grade,  corresponds  with  the  top  of  the  dam  on 
the  Croton  ;  but  in  order  to  adapt  the  aqueduct  to  draw  at  a  lower  level  from  the  Croton 
reservoir,  the  bottom  grade  was  depressed  at  the  head  2.93  feet,  and  a  declivity  of  0.0113 
foot  per  100  feet,  or  0.59664  foot  per  mile  for  4.949  miles,  where  it  intersects  the  regular 
grade.  The  top  of  the  aqueduct  was  depressed  only  0.583  foot,  and  carried  level  2276 
feet,  where  it  intersected  the  regular  grade  line  of  the  top.  -  This  gave  an  extra  height  ot 
side  walls,  enlarging  the  capacity  of  the  aqueduct,  more  than  equivalent  to  the  diminu- 
tion of  declivity,  and  provides  for  drawing -from  the  reservoir  to  a  depth  of  6  feet,  and 
still  leave  the  capacity  of  the  conduit  35,000,000  of  imperial  gallons. 

The  grade  of  the  aqueduct  from  Harlem  river  to  Manhattan  vfilley.  is  the  same  as 
the  general  declivity  in  Westchester  county .;  but  that  from  Manhattan  valley  to  the  re- 
ceiving reservoir  2.1727  miles,  is  9  inches  per  mile.  It  has  been  stated^  the  extra  fall 
given  for  the  pipes  at  Harlem  river,  is  2  feet,  and  at  Manhattan  valley  3  feet ;  between  the 
reservoirs  there  is  a  fall  of  4  feet,  when  both  are  full  ;  but  it  is  expected  something  more 
than  this  will  be  required  at  times,  to  furnish  the  full  quantity  that  will  be  wanted.  The 
pipes  are  provided  .with  waste  cocks  at  the  depressions,  and  air  cocks  at  the  summit 
bends. 

The  first  contracts  for  work  on  the  aqueduct,  were  made  in  April,  1^37,  at  which  < 
time  about  ten  miles  of  the  upper  end  was  advertised,  but  in  consequence  of  the  propo- 
sals being  considered  too  high,  only  about  half  of  it  was  contracted  for.  About  the  mid- 
dle of  May,  the  contractors  generally  entered  on  the  work  contracted  for.  In  September 
following,  about  16  miles  more  was  put  under  contract ;  in  May,  1838,  the  balance  of  the 
line  to  Harlem  river  was  put  under  contract;  and  the  work  on  the  island,  except  the 
grading  of  the  5th  Avenue  for  pipes,  in  October  following.  In  consequence  of  legislative 
interposition,  the  Harlem  river  work  was  re-let  in  August,  1839. 

The  'work  was  so  far  completed,  as  to  permit  the'water  to  be  let  in  from  the  Croton 
dam  on  the  22d  day  of  June,  1842  ;  and  it  was  admitted  into  the  distributing  reservoir  on 
the  4th  of  July  following.  There  is  yet  considerable  work  to  be  done  at  the  Croton  dam. 
the  receiving  and  distributing  reservoirs,  which  will  probably  all  be  completed  in  Sep- 
tember or  early  in  October.  The  Harlem  river  bridge  will  require  at  least  two  years  to 
complete  it.  At  the  latter  place,  a  temporary  pipe  conveys  the  water  across  the  valley. 

The  following  extract  is  taken  from  my  report  of  the  12th  inst.  to  the  Board  of  Wa- 
ter Commissioners  :— 

"  Since  the  water  was  introduced  into  the  aqueduct,  -the  velocity '  has  several  times 
been  ascertained,  though  not  in  so  perfect  a  manner  as  I  intend  to  have  it  done,  as  soon 
as  other  duties  will  allow  the  time  necessary.  Sufficient  data,  however,  have  been  ob- 

*  As  an  illustration  of  the  extreme  sensibility  of  water  to  the  smallest  declivity,  it  may  be  stated  that  on  a  long 
reach  of  the  Erie  canal  from  Lockport,  for  a  distance  of  sixty  miles,  the  fall  is  only  of  half  an  inch  in  a  mile, 
aqueducts  had  an  .average  declivity  of  one  foot  in  six  hundred. — [Ei 


CROfON    AdUEDUCT.  215'' 

tained  to  show,  that  the  capacity  of  the  aqueduct  for  delivering  water  will  be  at  least  15 
per  cent,  greater  than  the  calculated  flow.  I  have  not  been  much  disappointed  in  finding 
the  flow  of  water  in  the  aqueduct,  to  exceed  the  calculation,  as  all  my  observations  on  the 
currents  in  canal  feeders,  have  led  me  to  believe  the  formulas  laid  down  give  rather  less 
than  the  actual  result.  The  flow  of  water  through  the  pipes  across  Manhattan  valley, 
and  also  the  temporary  pipe  across  Harlem  river,  being  attended  with  circumstances 
somewhat  different,  has  led  some  very  intelligent  persons  to  predict,  that  our  expectations 
would  not  be  realised  in  these  cases ;  it  therefore  maybe  proper  to  observe  that  trial  has 
proved  such  predictions  to  have  been  not  well  founded,  as  the  flow  through  the  pipes 
has  in  a  very  exact  manner  corroborated  the  anticipated  capacity,  as  compared  with  that 
in  the  aqueduct.  - 

The  Croton  reservoir,  (which  has  received  the  name  of  Croton  lake,)  covers  about 
400  acres  of  land,  find  is  available  as  a  reservoir  for  500,000,000  imperial  gallons  of  water, 
above  the  level  that  would  allow  the  aqueduct  to  discharge  35.000,000  gallons  per  day. 
The  flow  of  the  Croton  is  about  27,000,000  gallons  in  twenty -four  hours  at  the  lowest 
stages,  which  continues,  with  moderate  rises  by  occasional  rains,  from  two  to  three 
mouths  in  the  year.  This  may  be  considered  the  minimum  capacity  of  the  river.  When 
the  wants  of  the  city  shall  require  a  daily  supply  of  35,000,000  gallons,  it  will  be  neces- 
sary, during  the  season  of  lowest  water,  to  draw  daily  from  this  reservoir  8,000,000  gal- 
lons, to  make  up  the  deficiency  in  the  natural  flow  of  the  river.  This  amount  the  reser- 
voir would  supply  for  62  days,  without  any  aid  from  occasional  rains ;  which  may  safely 
be  relied  upon,  to  keep  up  the  required  supply  from  the  reservoir,  beyond  any  drought 
we  have  ground  to  apprehend.  The  supply  of  the  Croton,  from  its  daily  flow,  aided  by 
this  reservoir,  may  therefore  be  taken  witfrgreat  confidence  at  35,000,000  gallons,  which 
will  be  very  ample  for  the  wants  of  the  city  for  a  long  time  to  come  ;  and  when  the  day 
arrives  that  it  will  require  a  larger  quantity,  it  may  be  obtained  by  constructing  other  res- 
ervoirs further  up  the  stream,  where  there  are  abundant  facilities  for  such  purposes." 

The  total  cost  of  the  aqueduct,  from  the  Croton  dam  to  the  distributing  reservoir 
inclusive,  will  be  nearly  9,000,000  of  dollars, 

New- York,  27th  July,  1842. 

The  unfinished  portions  of  the  work,  chiefly  on  the  Harlem  bridge,  have  been  steadily 
advancing  during  the  period  since  the  introduction  of  the  Croton  into  the  city ;  and  by  a 
letter  of  recent  date  from  the  chief  engineer,  we  are  informed  that  "  the  foundations  for  the 
two  last  water  piers  at  Harlem  bridge  are  now  in  progress  ;  the  piles  are  driven  for  one  of 
them,  and  they  are  nearly  ready  to  receive  the  cap  timbers  and  flooring  on  which  the  ma- 
sonry is  to  be  constructed.  For  the  other  the  piling  is  in  progress.  On  the  last  founda- 
tion put  down,  the  masonry  is  proceeding,  and  is  nearly  up  to  high  water  line.  All 
the  other  piers  are  raised  above  high  water,  and  the- masonry  is  actively  progressing  on  se- 
veral of  them.  It  is  probable  the  unfinished  foundations  will  be  completed,  and  the  ma- 
sonry raised  above  high  water  by  the  month  of  September,  and  several  of  the  piers  be 
carried  up  by  the  close  of  the  season  to  their  full  height,  ready  to  receive  the  arches." 

While  these  sheets  are  passing  through  the  press,  an  examination  of  the  whole  line 
of  aqueduct  has  been  made  with  most  satisfactory,  results ;  the  water  was  stopped  off  be-  * 


MEMOIR    OF    THE 

tween  the  Croton  and  the  receiving  reservoirs,  and  a  minute  personal  inspection  was  made 
by  the  chief  engineer  and  his  assistants,  who  passed  through  the  whole  conduit,  and  only, 
upon  very  close  examination,  were  enabled  to  detect  some  slight  defects,  which  a  few  days 
would  suffice  for  repairing.  The  exterior  of  the  work  had  suffered  as  little  injury  as 
could  be  expected  from  the  frosts  of  winter,  and  the  heavy  rains  of  this  spring — and  nei- 
ther outside  nor  inside  had  anything  occurred  to  interfere  with  the  regular  action,  which 
the  various  structures  were  designed  to  accommodate  and  promote. 

Among  the  enumerated  causes  of  injury  to  the  Roman  aqueducts,  it  may  be  remem- 
bered, was  the  formation  on  the  bottom  and  sides  of  the  channel  way,  of  a  stony  concretion, 
produced  by  matter  deposited  by  the  water.  It  is  therefore  satisfactory  to  know,  what  in- 
deed might  a  priori  have  been  anticipated  from  the  purity  of  the  sources  whence  the 
Croton  is  fed,  and  the  granitic  region  through  which  it  passes,  that  no  such  deposit  is  made 
by  its  waters. 

"  A  fine  sediment,"  says  Mr.  Jervis,  in  a  letter  to  the  author  of  22d  April,  "  has  been 
deposited  on  the  bottom  and  sides  of  the  aqueduct,  but  as  yet  its  depth  or  thickness  is  too 
small  to  be  measured  with  much  accuracy.  As  near  as  I  can  estimate,  it  might  reach  one 
inch  in  thickness  in  thirty  or  forty  years,  if  left  so  long  undisturbed.  It  is,  however,  so 
easily  removed,  that  in  a  few  days  the  whole  conduit  could  be  washed  clean,  and  the 
sediment  be  discharged  by  floating  it  out  at  the  waste  weirs.  It  appears  to  be  a  fine  allu- 
vial matter,  which  is  readily  washed  from  the  masonry,  and  I  do  not  anticipate  that  it  can 
ever  be  a  serious  inconvenience  to  the  usefulness  of  the  aqueduct." 

The  temperature  of  the  water  in  the  conduit  has  been  found  to  vary  but  few  degrees 
between  winter  and  summer.  After  the  water  had  been  in  the  aqueduct  about  two 
months,  it  was  ascertained,  by  sending  down  the  current  a  self-registering  thermometer 
on  a  float,  that  its  temperature,  as  compared  with  that  of  the  water  at  its  head,  had  fallen 
some  four  or  five  degrees.  This  was  in  warm  weather ;  the  opposite  result  would  occur 
in  cold  weather,  The  utmost  range  of  the  thermometer,  between  summer  and  winter,  in 
the  conduit,  before  the  water  was  let  in,  was  from  45°  to  55°  of  Fahrenheit.  That  range 
would  be  changed  by  the  temperature  of  the  water  at  different  seasons,  and  brought 
nearer  to  its  own  variations.  As  yet,  however,  no  sufficient  experiments  have  been  made 
on  this  point.  Enough  is  known,  nevertheless,  to  prove  that  the  conduits  are  beyond  the 
influence  of  frost  —  and,  constructed  as  they  are,  with  fidelity  and  of  the  best  materials, 
a  duration  may  be  anticipated  for  the  Croton  aqueduct  equal  to  that  of  the  Aqua  Alsie- 
tina  of  Rome,  of  which  it  is  related  that,  one  thousand  years  after  the  Goths  had  cut  off 
its  supply,  Cardinal  Orsini,  in  the  year  1693,  re-introduced  water  into  it,  and  that  it 
flowed  on  for  20  miles  to  Rome,  without  loss  or  interruption,  and  as  freely  as  in  its  ancient 
day. 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT.  217 

The  average  flow  of  water  since  its  introduction  into  the  Croton  aqueduct,  has  been 
about  fourteen  million  gallons  daily,  which  gives  a  height  in  the  conduits  of  two  feet 
four  inches.  Its  capacity  for  delivery  is  more  than  quadruple  this  quantity,  and  the  sup- 
ply is  equal  to  the  utmost  capacity. 

And  now,  having  concluded  the  narrative  and  descriptive  parts  of  the  Memoir,  it  will 
not  be  deemed  an  unreasonable  indulgence  of  patriotism  civic  or  pride,  to  present  a  brief 
and  flattering  comparison  between  this  New  York  Aqueduct,  and  the  most  magnificent  of 
those  constructed  in  ancient  or  in  modern  times,  the  relative  population  and  wealth  of  the 
respective  countries  or  communities  by  which  such  undertakings  have  been  accom- 
plished, the  cost  so  far  as  it  is  ascertainable,  and  the  sort  of  labor  employed. 

Rome  claims  the  first  place,  both  of  ancient  and  modern  days,  for  the  abun- 
dance of  her  supplies  of  water  through  aqueducts.  The  grandest  of  her  gigan- 
tic works  was  executed  by  an  imperial  master  and  servile  hands  ;  but  even  under  her 
consuls,  the  people  had  no  share  either  in  the  labor  or  the  burden,  of  the  two  grandest 
aqueducts  ever  constructed. 

The  Anio  Vetus,  in  the  year  of  Rome  480,  was  paid  for  from  the  spoils  taken  from 
Pyrrhus,  overthrown  by  the  Consul,  M.  Curius  Dentatus,  in  the  preceding  year — and  the 
Aqua  Marcia,  a  yet  more  magnificent  work,  was  commenced  in  the  year  of  Rome,  608, 
the  same  year  in  which  the  great  rival  of  Rome,  Carthage,  surrrendered,  and  in  which  the 
Consul  Mummius  destroyed  Corinth,  carrying  off  a  prodigious  plunder.  From  means 
thus  acquired,  was  this  aqueduct  probably  provided  for. 

These  were  the  two  great  works  of  republican  Rome,  but  they  were  cemented  by 
the  blood  of  slavery,  and  defrayed  by  the  spoils  robbed  from  the  conquered  and  the 
oppressed. 

Imperial  Rome  constructed  the  Claudian,  and  the  Anio  Novus,  each  a  river  of  itself. 
But  both  these  were  commenced  by  that  monster,  Caligula,  who  expressed  the  wish  that 
the  Roman  people  had  but  one  head  that  he  might  strike  it  off  at  a  blow,  and  who  installed 
his  horse,  Consul  and  High  Priest.  His  extortions,  oppression,  avarice  and  cruelty,  were 
feebly  compensated  to  the  people  of  Rome,  and  cannot  be  pardoned  by  posterity,  although  he 
did  undertake  those  two  magnificent  structures.  It  was  reserved  for  the  Emperor  Clau- 
dius to  finish  them — a  successor  scarcely  less  atrocious  in  character  or  conduct  than 
Caligula — the  dupe  of  favorites — the  slave  of  lust — stupid,  bloody  and  rapacious. 

We  have  said  these  aqueducts  were  cemented  with  the  blood  of  slavery,  and  such 
undoubtedly  was  the  fact,  although  we  have  no  direct  testimony  to  offer  in  its  support. 
But  we  know  that  slavery  was  coeval  with  the  foundation  of  Rome  ;  for  although  Romu- 
lus, as  it  is  related  by  Livy,  at  the  commencement,  and  in  order  to  increase  its  popula- 
55 


218  MEMOIR    OP    THE 

tion,  made  his  new  city  an  asylum  for  runaway  slaves,  it  is  also  recorded,  that  before 
his  reign  ceased,  captives  made  in  war,  were  reduced  to  slavery.  "  From  that  time," 
says  a  modern  and  learned  writer,  "  the  number  and  importance  of  the  slaves  of  the  Ro 
mans,  are  abundantly  attested  by  authorities  of  all  descriptions,  and  of  every  period  down 
to  the  fall  of  the  Western  Empire."* 

Hume,  Wallace,  and  others,  who  have  scrutinized  the  accuracy  of  the  numbers  of 
slaves  said  to  have  existed  at  Rome,  leave  no  room  for  doubt,  that  vast  multitudes  were 
kept  in  that  degraded  condition.  They  were  the  only  servants,  and  according  to  Diony- 
sius  of  Halicarnassus,  the  only  "  operatives"  or  workmen  in  the  city,  and  so  great  was  the 
increase  in  numbers  of  this  sort  of  population,  that  in  the  age  of  the  Gracchi,  the  labor 
of  agriculture,  too,  was  performed  by  them,  and  the  class  of  free  husbandmen  disappeared 
from  Italy.  It  was  from  indignation  at  this  state  of  things,  consequent  upon  the  posses- 
sion of  immense  landed  estates  and  many  slaves,  by  a  few  proprietors,  that  Tiberius 
Gracchus  was  stimulated  to  propose  the  Agrarian  law.t 

It  may  be  assumed  with  confidence,  that  the  slave  population  of  Rome,  was  from  an 
early  period,  at  least  equal  to  that  of  the  freemen  ;  and  as  wealth  and  luxury  increased, 
and  it  became  a  mark  of  rank  and  condition  to  have  a  numerous  retinue  of  slaves,  this 
class  much  preponderated. 

Hence  we  state,  without  hesitation,  that  the  Roman  aqueducts  were  built  by  slaves. 

Concerning  the  manner  of  applying  this  labor,  it  may  be  conjectured  that  it  was 
through  contractors,  for  Frontinus,  in  a  passage  which  refers  to  the  vigilance  he  was 
obliged  to  exercise,  in  order  that  the  works  should  be  always  in  order,  says  he  insisted  with 
the  contractors — as  we  translate  redemtoribus — upon  the  necessity  of  always  having  a 
number  of  slave-artificers,  (servorum  opificum,)  near  the  fountains,  both  within  and  with- 
out the  city.J 

In  a  modern  English  Compend  of  the  History  of  Rome,  published  anonymously,  but 
purporting  to  be  derived  from  Niebuhr,  Wachsmuth,  Heeren,  and  especially  Professor 
Schlosser,  of  Heidelberg,  we  find  the  distinct  statement,  without  reference,  however,  to 
any  authorities,  both  that  public  works  were  built  by  contract,  and  that  the  laborers  were 
slaves. 

"  The  Romans,"  says  this  writer,  "  undertook  no  buildings  on  account  of  the  State, 
but  had  them  performed  by  contract  with  private  speculators,  in  the  same  way  as  they 
farmed  out  the  collection,  or  rather  the  proceeds  of  the  public  revenues.  These  contracts 

*  Inquiry  into  the  State  of  Slavery  among  the  Romans,  by  Wm.  Blair,  Esq.,  p.  2. 

t  Plutarch's  Life  of  the  Gracchi.  :  Frontinus,  chap.  ii. 


CROTON    AQUEDUCT.  219 

were  drawn  up  in  writing,  of  which  Cato  has  preserved  to  us  a  specimen  in  his  book  on 
agriculture." 

In  reference  to  the  Aqua  Appia,  the  same  writer  makes  this  statement :  "  The  pride 
of  a  princely  patrician,  Appius,  who  looked  indeed  upon  his  family  as  his  country,  but 
who  looked  upon  his  country  as  his  family — a  man  who  may  be  called  the  express  image 
of  the  ancient  patriciate — of  the  sternness,  vigor,  simplicity  and  constancy  of  the  old  Ro- 
man nobility — for  the  first  time  since  the  kingly  era,  employed  the  revenues  of  the  State, 
greatly  augmented  as  these  were  by  the  possession  of  Campania  and  the  plunder  of  Sam- 
nium,  in  a  gigantic  undertaking,  in  the  building  of  an  enormous  aqueduct,  and  the  plan- 
ning of  the  most  remarkable  highway  of  the  Roman  empire. 

At  this  time  the  Romans  as  well  as  the  1  ^atins  continued  to  pay  war- taxes,  land-taxes, 
property-taxes  ;  the  tithe  of  the  demesne,  lands  brought  large  sums  in,  and  the  tolls  had 
become  more  productive  since  the  domain  had  received  aggrandizement ;  the  number  of 
slaves,  owing  to  the  wars,  had  greatly  increased.  Appius  therefore  could  not  better  oblige 
the  mass  of  the  citizens,  than  by  undertaking  an  enormous  public  work,  which  should  oc- 
cupy them,  and  give  them  an  opportunity  to  enrich  themselves  through  the  labor  of  their 
slaves.  At  the  same  time  he  announced  by  these  means  the  greatness  of  Rome  to  the 
whole  world,  and  secured  immortal  glory  to  himself."* 

In  regard  to  the  receipts  from  the  water  of  the  aqueducts,  coll  ected  from  the  gardens 
and  buildings  to  which  they  were  distributed,  we  find  upon  a  more  careful  examination  of 
Frontinus,  an  incidental  statement,  that  this  revenue,  "  amounting  to  sestertium  C.  C.  L. 
millium,  equal  to  one  million  of  dollars,  which  had  been  diverted  to  the  private  purse  of 
Domitian,  was  by  the  justice  of  the  godlike  Nerva  restored  to  the  people."t 

The  Roman  aqueducts  in  Gaul,  in  Spain,  and  other  conquered  provinces,  were  the 
works  of  proconsuls,  virtually  irresponsible  for  the  exercise  of  their  power  ;  and  the  labor 
by  which  they  were  built  was  that  of  the  legions.  Magnificent  as  were  these  structures, 
and  fraught  with  benefit  to  all  within  their  sphere,  they  were  nevertheless  the  badge  of 
servitude,  the  boon  of  a  conqueror  to  subject  peoples. 

Of  modern  works,  the  Canal  de  L'Ourcq,  in  France,  by  its  extent  and  the  copiousness 
of  its  supply,  is  among  the  most  remarkable.  But  that  too,  was  a  government  undertaking, 
feebly  prosecuted  through  a  period  of  some  thirty  years,  and  completed  at  last  at  a  great 
expense,  in  incurring  which,  or  in  the  means  for  its  repayment,  the  people  had  no  voice. 
The  canal  cost  24,326,278  francs,  or  near  five  millions  of  dollars,  and  the  distribution  of 

*  History  of  Rome,  pp.  126,  7,  Carey,  Lee  &  Blanchard's  edition ,  1837.  t  Frontinus,  chap.  ii. 


220  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

the  water  about  four  million  dollars  more.  Its  revenue  as  a  navigable  canal,  is  about 
60,000  francs,  and  from  its  waters  consumed  in  Paris.  1,460,000  francs,  altogether  a  little 
more  than  $300,000.* 

For  its  bold  and  lofty  arcades,  the  solidity  of  its  masonry,  and  the  imposing  grandeur 
of  the  whole  structure  as  it  bestrides  the  beautiful  valley  of  Alcantara,  the  aqueduct  of 
Lisbon  may  claim  the  first  place.  It  is,  however,  short  in  its  course,  and  its  supply  of 
water  is  comparatively  small.  This  is  wholly  a  royal  work. 

In  Great  Britain,  all  the  water-works  seem  to  have  been  private  speculations,  in  which 
the  hope  of  gain  was  the  alluring  cause — except,  indeed,  the  original  undertaking  of  Hugh 
Myddleton,  to  introduce  the  New  river  into  London.  He  certainly  appears  to  have  acted 
for  the  general  good,  and  to  have  made  great  personal  sacrifices  for  its  promotion.  In 
other  instances,  the  commercial  spirit,  which  looks  to  a  reward  for  its  investments,  was  at 
the  bottom  of  the  enterprise. 

The  city  of  New  York  presents,  it  is  believed,  the  only  instance  of  a  comparatively 
small  community,  not  exceeding  at  the  time  280,000  inhabitants,  deliberately  voting  that 
an  enterprise  should  be  undertaken,  in  a  style  and  on  a  scale  greatly  beyond  their  actual 
or  any  near  future  wants,  but  which,  designed  to  endure  for  ages,  would  bear  record  to 
those  ages,  however  distant,  of  a  race  of  men  who  were  content  to  incur  present  burdens, 
for  the  benefit  of  a  posterity  they  could  never  know. 

Having  resolved  on  the  work,  they  carried  it  forward  with  a  degree  of  constancy  and 
energy  alike  remarkable,  so  that  in  the  space  of  five  years,  an  aqueduct  was  completed, 
which,  for  the  natural  difficulties  overcome,  the  substantial  character  of  its  structures, 
the  very  remarkable  verification,  in  the  results,  of  the  previous  calculations  of  the  engineers 
as  to  the  flow  of  the  waters,  and  the  quantity  that  could  be  delivered,  for  the  extent  of  its 
course,  and  the  abundance  of  its  supply,  may  be  ranked  among  the  foremost  of  like  under- 
takings throughout  the  world. 

Nor  were  the  extraordinary  financial  difficulties  which  affected  the  whole  country, 
almost  the  whole  world,  during  the  greater  portion  of  the  period  this  enterprise  was  in 
progress,  permitted  to  check  its  steady  advance.  The  city  resolved  that  the  means  should 
be  found,  and  they  were  found. 

Yet,  with  all  this  energy  and  perseverance,  there  was  no  rashness.  The  calculations 
of  the  cost,  were  carefully  made,  and  it  is  a  circumstance  unparalleled  probably  in  the 
history  of  like  undertakings,  and  one  which  reflects  great  credit  on  the  exactness  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  chief  engineer,  Mr.  Jervis,  and  on  his  professional  skill  and  fidelity,  that 

*  Duten's  Histoire  de  la  navigation  interieure  de  la  France,  p.  566,  7,  vol.  i.    Paris  1829. 


CROTON    AdUEDUCT. 

the  very  first  estimate  he  gave,  after  he  had  made  himself  master  of  the  details  of  the  pro- 
posed work,  and  had  the  experience  of  some  few  contracts,  has  turned  out  to  be  within, 
and  not  much  differing  from,  the  actual  cost.  In  Great  Britain,  it  had  grown  into  an  arti- 
cle of  faith,  that  the  estimates  of  engineers  for  like  works,  were  in  no  wise  to  be  relied  on, 
and  certainly  the  experience  of  London  justified  such  incredulity. 

The  whole  work  was  executed  by  contractors,  employing  free  labor,  was  paid  for  by 
a  single  city,  where  slavery  is  t  unknown,  and  is  designed  and  calculated  to  supply  the 
wants  of  any  population  which  that  city  can  sustain. 

Its  copiousness  of  waters  is  so  great,  that  two  of  its  fountains  daily  throw  away  more 
water,  than  suffices  for  the  supply  of  other  large  cities. 

Indeed,  there  is  scarcely  any  feature  of  the  work  more  imposing  and  magnificent  than 
the  volume  of  water  which  its  fountains  pour  out  in  perennial  flow,  and  the  height  to 
which  they  are  projected. 

There  are,  to  be  sure,  higher  jets  in  Europe — the  highest  perhaps  in  the  world  is  that 
of  Cassel,  in  Westphalia,  which,  according  to  modern  travellers,  rises  from  a  pipe  of  12 
inches  in  diameter,  to  the  extraordinary  height  of  two  hundred  feet — but  it  never  plays 
much  more  than  half  an  hour  !  Its  reservoir  is  on  a  hill  behind  the  town,  at  an  elevation 
of  300  feet. 

The  "  Grandes  Eaux,"  or  famous  water  works  of  Versailles,  are  in  like  manner  mere 
holiday  play-things,  which  on  the  first  Sunday  of  every  month  are  exhibited  for  the  ad- 
miration of  the  crowds  which  then  throng  the  avenues  of  that  beautiful  and  sumptuous 
palace  ;  but  at  all  other  times,  the  sea-gods  and  the  sea-horses,  and  the  Neptunes  and  the 
Naiads,  sculptured  in  marble  or  cast  in  bronze,  and  constituting  groups  in  and  about  the 
various  basins  of  these  fountains,  are  dry  as  the  gravel  walks  that  lead  to  them. 

The  cost*  of  the  Croton  Aqueduct  was  very  great — but  once  made,  it  is  final,  and  its 
waters  being  distributed  by  its  own  head,  there  is  not,  as  in  Paris  and  in  London,  in  Phila- 


*  TOTAL  COST  OF  THE  CROTON  AGlUEDUCT. 

Paid  for  work  done  by  contractors  up  to  1st  April,  1843, 

Incidental  expenses  up  to  same  date,  including  salaries  of  engineers  and  Commissioners 

Cost  and  rent  of  land  for  line  of  aqueduct 

Actual  money  cost  of  the  aqueduct  to  the  distributing  reservoir  at  Murray's  Hill 
Add,  for  procuring  and  laying  water  pipes  ... 

Interest  on  water  stock  to  1st  August,  inclusive   ----- 
Sundry  water  loan,  and  other  expenses     ------ 


$7,138,486  34 
436,860  11 
408,155  67 

$7,983,503  12 

1,878,839  51 

1,577,459  43 

12,818  55 


Total  expenditure  -  -  -  ......        •".*-'.     811,452,61961 

The  whole  amount  of  stock  authorised  to  be  issued,  is  twelve  millions  of  dollars.  The  balance  unexpended 
will  suffice  to  complete  the  high  bridge  over  the  Harlem,  and  henceforth  the  interest  on  the  debt  is  to  be  paid  from 
taxes. 

56 


222  MEMOIR    OF    THE    CROTON    AdUEDUCT. 

delphia,  Richmond,  and  Cincinnati,  a  large  annual  expenditure  for  forcing-pumps  and 
steam  engines. 

The  solidity  of  the  general  structure  forbids  the  idea,  for  centuries,  of  other  than  slight 
occasional  repairs  ;  the  abundance  of  the  source  relieves  from  all  solicitude  as  to  adequate 
supplies  for  the  multitudinous  population  of  hereafter.  It  is  for  the  future  even  more  than 
for  the  present,  and  will  attest  to  other  lands  and  to  other  times,  that,  magnificent  as  may 
be  the  works  of  conquerors  and  kings,  they  have  not  equalled  in  forecast  of  design,  and 
beneficence  of  result,  the  noble  aqueduct,  constructed  at  their  own  cost,  by  the  freemen  of 
the  single  city  of  New  York. 


THE       CELEBRATION 


OP  THB 


FOURTEENTH     OCTOBER,     1842. 


THE   CELEBRATION 


FOURTEENTH  OCTOBER,  1842 


IT  was  natural  that  so  great  an  event  as  the  completion  of  the  Croton  Aqueduct, 
should  be  deemed  by  the  citizens,  at  whose  cost  and  through  whose  constancy  it  had 
been  constructed,  worthy  of  some  public  celebration. 

We  have  seen  how  the  Lord  Mayor  and  citizens  of  London  honored  the  introduc- 
tion into  that  city,  of  the  New  River ;  and  the  memory  of  the  imposing  ceremonial  in 
our  own  city,  upon  the  marriage  of  the  Lakes  with  the  Ocean  by  the  completion  of  the 
Erie  Canal,  was  a  precedent  too  recent  and  too  agreeable,  to  be  departed  from. 

Accordingly  on  the  5th  July,  in  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  Alderman  Lee  presented  the 
following  preamble  and  resolutions,  viz  : 

Whereas,  The  important  work  of  introducing  the  waters  of  the  Croton  River  in  the 
city  of  New  York  is  now  completed,  and  in  such  a  manner  that  it  cannot  be  viewed 
without  a  feeling  of  pride  at  its  execution  ;  a  work  upon  which  posterity  will  look  back 
to  those  who  transmitted  the  blessing  with  veneration,  and  that  will  be  for  ever  remem- 
bered as  an  evidence  of  the  liberality  of  the  citizens  of  New  York,  the  importance  of 
which  is  equalled  only  by  the  legacy  handed  down  to  us  by  the  sires  of  the  Revolution, 
for,  while  the  one  ensures  to  us  prosperity,  together  with  freedom  and  religious  liberty, 
the  other  secures  to  us  and  our  posterity  that  health,  without  which  all  other  blessings 
dwindle  into  insignificance : 

Therefore  Resolved,  That,  if  the  Board  of  Assistants  concur,  a  Joint  Committee  of 
five  members  from  each  Board  be  appointed  to  make  arrangements  for  commemorating 
this  event  in  a  manner  corresponding  with  its  vast  importance,  and  that  they  be  autho- 
rised to  invite  our  fellow-citizens  to  unite  with  the  Common  Council  in  celebrating,  with 
all  suitable  demonstrations  of  joy,  the  completion  of  this  great  and  stupendous  work. 

57 


226  CELEBRATION    OF    THE 

These  were,  on  motion  of  Alderman  Davies,  referred  to  the  Joint  Committee  on  the 
Croton  Aqueduct,  from  which  Committee  the  following  report  was  received  on  19th  Sep- 
tember : 

The  Joint  Committee  on  the  Croton  Aqueduct,  to  whom  was  referred  the  preamble  and 
resolution  presented  by  Alderman  Lee,  July  5,  1842,  in  relation  to  celebrating  the 
event  of  the  introduction  of  the  Croton  Water  into  the  city,  presented  the  follow- 
ing report,  recommending  the  adoption  of  the  preamble  and  resolution  referred  to 
them,  together  with  the  resolution  annexed  to  this  report — Respectfully  Report : 

That  they  have  had  the  same  under  consideration,  and  that  they  do  cheerfully 
respond  to  the  sentiments  therein  contained : — the  introduction  of  the  healthful  streams 
of  the  Croton  to  our  homes,  forms  an  era  in  our  municipal  history,  which  must  always  be 
among  the  brightest  on  the  page  that  records  our  civil  glories. 

This  great  work,  equal  to  any  on  this  continent  for  magnitude,  and  for  a  display 
of  scientific  skill,  has  been  successfully  completed  in  the  space  of  five  years,  by  the  un- 
aided credit  of  our  city,  and  enterprise  of  our  citizens.  The  hopes  of  half  a  century  are 
now  turned  from  dreamy  longings,  with  but  a  faint  chance  of  fulfilment,  into  the  enjoy- 
ment of  a  substantial  blessing,  whose  benefits  will  not  only  delight  us  in  our  day,  but  will 
serve  as  a  broad  foundation  for  the  unchanging  gratitude  of  remote  posterity.  The  Com- 
mittee have  sought  among  their  fellow-citizens  for  an  indication  of  their  opinion  upon  a 
public  celebration,  and  are  pleased  to  find  all  are  anxious  to  unite,  as  brethren  owning  a 
common  property  in  this  good  structure,  in  celebrating  its  glorious  completion. 

The  Fire  Department  have  already  made  extensive  preparations  for  such  an  occa- 
sion, and  the  Committee  hope  that  the  Common  Council  will  meet  the  wishes  of  so 
valuable  a  portion  of  our  citizens,  and  sanction  by  their  authority,  a  day  to  be  dedicated 
to  universal  public  vejoicing. 

Since  the  passage  of  the  ordinance  making  an  appropriation  for  the  erection  of  a 
fountain  in  the  Park,  the  engineers  and  officers  of  the  Croton  Department  have  turned 
their  attention  towards  its  construction,  by  an  early  day,  so  far  as  to  enable  us  to  display 
the  beauty  and  capacity  of  the  water. 

The  lateness  of  the  season  renders  it  improper  to  do  more  than  lay  the  foundation, 
and  prepare  the  basin  for  the  celebration.  The  laying  of  the  coping,  and  the  finishing  of 
the  whole,  must  be  deferred  until  after  the  frosts  of  the  coming  winter  have  entirely 
ceased. 

The  Committee  think  that  the  introduction  of  the  water  cannot  be  properly  celebrated, 
until  the  fountain  is  so  far  completed  as  to  admit  of  an  exhibition  of  its  powers,  and  be- 
lieving the  same  will  be  completed  by  the  14th  day  of  October  next,  the  Committee  now 
designate  that  day  as  the  proper  one  for  the  celebration. 

The  Committee  recommend  the  adoption  of  the  annexed  preamble  and  resolution, 
and  also  submit  herewith  a  resolution  for  the  consideration  of  the  Common  Council : 

Resolved,  That  the  sum  of  two  thousand  dollars  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby  appro- 
priated for  the  purpose  of  celebrating  the  introduction  of  the  Croton  water  into  this  city, 
and  that  the  same  be  applied  under  the  direction  of  the  Committee  on  the  Celebration  • 


CROTON    AdUEDUCT.  227 

and  that  said  Committee  be  requested  to  report  a  programme  of  the  ceremonies  of  the  day 
to  the  Common  Council,  at  least  three  days  before  the  day  fixed  for  such  celebration. 

HENRY  E.  DAVIES, 
EDWARD  D.  WEST,      . 
CHARLES  W.  SMITH, 
GEORGE  F.  NESBITT, 
WILLIAM  DODGE, 
DANIEL  WARD. 

The  preamble  and  resolution  were  adopted,  and  the  blank  in  the  latter  was  filled 
with  $2000. 

The  President  then  appointed  Aldermen  Davies,  West,  Smith,  Lee,  and  Crolius,  such 
Committee  on  the  part  of  this  Board. 

The  Board  of  Assistants  concurred  in  these  proceedings,  and  on  their  part  appointed 
Assistant  Aldermen  Nesbitt,  William  Dodge,  Daniel  Ward,  H.  C.  Atwell,  and  C.  F. 
Dodge,  as  members  of  the  Joint  Committee. 

On  the  10th  October,  the  Joint  Committee  made  this  report : 

The  Committee  appointed  to  make  arrangements  for  celebrating  the  introduction  of 
the  Croton  water  into  the  city  of  New  York  on  the  14th  instant — Respectfully 
Report : 

That,  having  taken  into  consideration  the  great  importance  of  this  stupendous  monu- 
ment of  the  enterprise  of  the  citizens  of  New  York  —  a  work  which  cannot  but  create  in 
the  breast  of  every  citizen,  a  feeling  of  pride  at  its  completion,  and  which  will  vie  in  mag- 
nitude with  any  in  the  world,  and  will  be  handed  down  to  posterity  as  an  evidence  of  the 
liberality  of  the  free  and  enlightened  citizens  of  the  greatest  commercial  emporium  in  the 
United  States,  in  the  nineteenth  century ;  for  while  tyrants  and  despots  may  have  caused 
monuments  to  be  erected,  in  order  to  commemorate  their  reign,  your  Committee  believe 
there  is  not  an  instance  on  record  in  which  the  citizens  of  any  country  have,  of  their  own 
free  will  and  accord,  authorised  the  construction  of  a  work  of  the  same  magnitude,  the 
beneficial  effects  of  which  will  be  experienced  by  ages  yet  unborn. 

Your  Committee,  feeling  desirous  that  the  completion  of  this  proud  monument  of 
liberality  and  enterprise,  should  be  celebrated  with  such  public  demonstrations  of  joy  as  a 
work  so  beneficial  to  our  city  deservedly  demands,  invited  the  co-operation  of  their  fellow 
citizens  connected  with  the  various  trades,  societies  and  associations,  either  literary,  bene- 
ficial or  benevolent,  and  most  cheerfully  has  it  been  responded  to ;  all,  to  appearance, 
feeling  anxious  to  commemorate  the  accomplishment  of  this  interesting  object,  which  has 
cost  so  much  profound  study  and  application  on  the  part  of  some  of  our  most  estimable 
citizens,  before  this  important  project  was  matured,  and  all  the  springs  of  action  necessary 
to  bring  it  to  perfection,  were  fully  arranged  and  systematized.  Nor  is  it  confined  to 
our  citizens  alone  ;  various  associations  from  our  sister  cities  and  the  neighboring  villages, 
anxious  to  rejoice  with  us,  have  signified  their  intention  of  uniting  in  the  procession. 

Invitations  have  been  sent  to  the  Corporations  of  Brooklyn,  Albany,  Troy,  Jersey 
City,  Newark,  Elizabeth  town,  Rahway,  New  Brunswick,  Trenton,  and  Philadelphia,  and 


228  CELEBRATION    OF    THE 

Trustees  of  Williamsburgh,  all  of  which  have  been  accepted,  except  that  to  Philadelphia, 
who  have  been  obliged  to  decline  on  account  of  its  being  the  day  on  which  the  new  Board 
is  sworn  into  office  —  a  circumstance  much  to  be  regretted,  from  the  fact,  that  from  the 
authorities  of  that  city  the  most  valuable  information  has  been  received  in  reference  to 
the  work  ;  and  the  kind  manner  in  which  it  has  invariably  been  imparted,  places  this  city 
under  obligations  to  them  which  scarcely  can  be  repaid. 

The  Committee,  desirous  of  adding  every  thing  in  their  power  to  the  splendor  of  the 
day,  were  induced  to  apply  to  George  P.  Morris,  Esq.,  for  an  original  ode  to  be  sung  on 
the  occasion.  General  Morris,  with  his  usual  kindness,  has  responded  to  your  Committee 
in  the  production  of  an  ode  replete  with  beauty  and  feeling. 

The  New  York  Sacred  Music  Society,  through  their  President,  Luther  B.  Wyman, 
Esq.,  have  in  the  kindest  manner  volunteered  to  sing  the  ode,  from  a  stage  to  be  erected 
for  that  purpose  in  the  Park,  in  front  of  the  City  Hall.  The  number  of  vocal  performers 
are  rising  two  hundred,  male  and  female ;  an  adequate  number  of  instrumental  perform- 
ers are  engaged,  and,  on  the  whole,  it  is  presumed  that  this  will  form  one  of  the  most 
interesting  points  in  the  day's  festivity. 

The  splendid  banner,  painted  by  Mr.  Smith,  and  intended  as  a  present  to  the  Fire 
Department  by  the  city  authorities,  will  be  presented  by  His  Honor  the  Mayor  to  the 
Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Fire  Department  Fund,  who  are  delegated  by  the  Department 
to  receive  it,  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  in  front  of  the  City  Hall. 

General  Gilbert  Hopkins  has  been  selected  as  the  Grand  Marshal  of  the  day,  who 
has  selected  twenty-six  gentlemen  as  aids. 

The  day  will  be  ushered  in  by  the  firing  of  a  national  salute  by  the  veteran  corps, 
under  the  command  of  Capt.  Chapman,  who  has  kindly  consented  to  perform  that  duty. 

The  bells  of  the  diiferent  churches  in  the  city  are  directed  to  be  rung  one  hour  at 
sun-rise,  at  noon,  and  at  sun-down. 

The  line  will  be  formed  under  the  direction  of  the  Grand  Marshal  and  aids,  in  Broad- 
way —  the  right  on  Battery  Place  —  at  nine  o'clock,  and  will  move  precisely  at  ten  o'clock. 
The  whole  line  will  countermarch  up  Broadway  to  Union  Place  —  down  the  Bowery  to 
Grand- street  —  up  Grand  street  to  East  Broadway  —  down  East  Broadway  to  Chatham- 
street  —  down  Chatham-street  to  the  Park. 

The  Committee  are  desirous  that  the  Inspectors  of  the  streets  through  which  the 
procession  will  pass,  should  be  particularly  instructed  to  have  the  streets  cleaned,  and 
that  no  vehicles  or  fruit-carts  be  allowed  in  them. 

HENRY  E.  DAVIES, 
GEORGE  F.  NESBITT, 
FREDERICK  R.  LEE, 
EDWARD  D.  WEST, 


CHARLES  W.  SMITH, 
CLARKSON  CROLIUS,  JUN., 
R.  H.  ATWELL, 
DANIEL  WARD, 
WILLIAM  DODGE, 
CHARLES  J.  DODGE, 

New  York,  October  10, 1842. 


Joint  Celebration 
Committee, 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT. 

Invitations  were  addressed  by  the  Sub-Committee  of  Arrangements  designated  for 
that  purpose,  consisting  of  Aldermen  Crolius,  West,  and  Assistan t- Alderman  Wm.  Dodge, 
to  many  distinguished  citizens  and  strangers.  From  among  numerous  replies,  we  select 
for  publication  those  which  follow,  beginning  with  that  of  the  President  of  the  United 
States : 


From  the  President  of  the  United  States. 

Washington,  Oct  11,  1842. 


GENTLEMEN  : — 


I  should  be  most  truly  happy  to  be  present  at  an  event  so  interesting  to  your  city 
as  the  celebration  proposed  for  the  14th,  and  to  which  you  have  invited  me.  Circum- 
stances, however,  deny  to  me  the  pleasure  of  such  a  visit.  I  heartily  rejoice  with  the 
citizens  of  New  York,  in  the  completion  of  a  work  so  vastly  important  to  the  health,  and 
comfort  of  its  inhabitants.  It  is  justly  to  be  classed  among  the  first  works  of  the  age,  and 
is  honorable  to  the  enterprise  of  the  great  centre  of  American  trade  and  commerce. 

I  tender  to  you,  gentlemen,  assurances  of  my  high  respect, 

JOHN  TYLER. 


From  Ex-President  John  Quincy  Adams. 

C.  CROLIUS,  Jun'r.,  Ald'n.  6th  Ward,  )   Committee  of  the  Common  Council 

E.  D.  WEST,  Ald'n.   16th  Ward,  of  the 

WILLIAM  DODGE,  Ass't.  Ald'n.  3d  Ward,  ^  City  of  New  York. 

Quincy,  llth  October,  1842. 
GENTLEMEN  : — 

I  pray  you  to  accept  my  grateful  acknowledgments  for  the  honor  done  me,  by 
the  invitation  to  join  with  the  Common  Council  of  your  great  and  illustrious  city,  on  the 
14th  inst,  in  celebrating  the  introduction  of  the  Croton  water  into  the  city. 

Detained  by  indispensable  engagements  at  home,  I  regret  that  I  shall  be  deprived  of 
the  pleasure  of  participating  with  you,  in  the  festive  enjoyment  of  an  event  so  interesting 

58 


230  CELEBRATION    OF    THE 

to  the  health  and  comfort  of  your  immense,  and  still  multiplying,  population.  For  what- 
ever may  contribute  to  their  welfare  and  happiness,  my  best  wishes,  are  but  the  dictates 
of  duty,  no  less  than  the  impulses  of  a  patriotic  heart. 

I  am,  with  great  respect,  gentlemen, 

Your  obliged  and  very  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS. 


From  Ex-President  Van  Buren. 

Kinderhook,  October  8,  1842. 
GENTLEMEN  : — 

I  regret,  exceedingly,  that  it  will  not  be  in  my  power  to  avail  myself  of  your  po- 
lite invitation,  to  join  the  Common  Council  of  New  York,  in  celebrating  the  introduction 
of  the  Croton  water  into  the  city. 

Participating,  very  fully,  in  the  gratification  which  is  derived  from  the  successful 
completion  of  that  great  work,  and  sincerely  thankful  for  this  mark  of  respect  on  the 
part  of  the  Common  Council, 

I  am,  gentlemen^ 

Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

M.  VAN  BUREN. 

To 

CLARKSON  CROLIUS,  Jun'r.,  / 

E.  D.  WEST,   and  \  Committee. 

WM.  DODGE,  Esq'rs.,  $ 


Those  from  different  functionaries  in  the  State  Government  next  claim  notice 


C  ROT  ON    AdUEDUCT.  231 

From  Governor  Seward. 

Albany,  October  12,  1842. 
GENTLEMEN  : — 

Your  kind  letter,  bearing  date  the  30th  September,  inviting  me  to  attend  the  cele- 
bration of  the  completion  of  the  Croton  Water  Works,  was  found  by  me  on  my  return  to 
this  city  on  Friday  last.  But  a  severe  indisposition,  from  which  1  am  just  recovering,  has 
prevented  my  acknowledgment  of  that  invitation,  or  your  subsequent  note,  in  which  it 
was  so  kindly  renewed. 

Sympathizing  sincerely  with  my  fellow-citizens  in  the  accomplishment  of  that  great 
work,  I  with  great  pleasure,  accept  the  invitation.  I  shall  leave  this  city  to-morrow  even- 
ing, and  take  up  my  lodgings  with  the  Honorable  Samuel  B.  Ruggles,  Union  Square, 

With  very  high  respect, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

WM.  H.  SEWARD. 

To 

CLARKSON   CROLIUS,  Jr.,~| 

EDWARD    D.    WEST,    and  *>  Committee.,  $c  New  York.. 

WILLIAM   DODGE,  Esqrs.  J 


From  Lt.  Governor  Bradish. 

Albany,  November  1, 1842. 
GENTLEMEN: — 

I  am  just  favored  with  your  invitation,  in  behalf  of  the  Common  Council  of  the 
city  of  New  York,  "  to  join  with  them  on  the  14th  day  of  October,  in  celebrating  the  in- 
troduction of  the  Croton  water  into  the  city  of  New  York." 

Your  letter  was  missent,  and  went  first  to  Moriah,  in  Essex  County ;  was  forwarded 
thence  to  Moira,  in  Franklin  County  ;  was  thence  returned  to  Albany  ;  thence  forwarded 
to  New  York ;  thence  sent  back,  and  has  just  reached  me  here.  I  regret,  exceedingly,  this 
long  delay  in  the  receipt  of  your  letter,  as  it  has  prevented  its  earlier  and  due  acknow- 
ledgment. Had  it,  however,  reached  me  in  season,  my  indispensable  public  duties  here 
would  not  have  permitted  me  the  great  pleasure  it  oifered  me.  It  would  otherwise  have 
afforded  me  the  highest  gratification,  to  unite  with  the  Common  Council  and  citizens  of 


232  CELEBRATION    OF    THE 

New  York,  in  the  celebration  of  an  event,  as  important  to  the  interests,  as  it  is  honorable 
to  the  character,  of  your  city.  The  completion  of  the  Croton  Aqueduct,  and  the  supply- 
ing of  a  great  city  with  pure  and  wholesome  water,  would  have  illustrated  any  age  of  any 
country.  Their  achievement  is  a  fit  subject  of  the  high  congratulation  and  just  pride  of 
ours. 

I  beg  you  will,  although  late,  be  pleased  to  receive  for  yourselves,  and  eommunicate  to 
those  you  represent,  my  due  acknowledgments  for  the  courtesy  extended  to  me  on  this  oc- 
casion. 

And  believe  me  to  be,  Gentlemen, 

With  sentiments  of  great  respect, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

L.  BRADISH. 

To 

C.  CROLIUS,  Jr.,  1 

E.  D.  WEST,  >  Committee. 

WILLIAM  DODGE,  Esquires.  J 


From  the  Secretary  of   State. 

Albany,  6th  October,  1842. 
GENTLEMEN  : — 

After  an  absence  of  several  days  from  the  city,  in  consequence  of  sickness  in  my 
family,  I  have  received,  through  you,  the  polite  invitation  of  the  Common  Council,  to  at- 
tend the  celebration  of  the  introduction  of  the  Croton  Water  in  the  city  of  New  York,  on 
the  14th  instant.  I  have  some  doubts  whether  I  shall  be  able  to  avail  myself  of  the  invi- 
tation ;  I  will,  however,  be  with  you  if  I  can. 

Very  respectfully 

Your  obedient  servant, 

S.  YOUNG. 

To 

CLARKSON  CROLIUS,  Jr.,-] 

EDWARD  D.  WEST,    '        *>  Committee  of  Invitation,  $c.,  $c.:  New  York.       fv] 

WILLIAM  DODGE,  Esqrs.J 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT.  333 


From  the  Comptroller  of  the  State  of  New  York. 

Comptroller's  Office, 
Albany,  October  12,  1842. 

GENTLEMEN  : — 

I  have  received  your  kind  invitation  in  behalf  of  the  Common  Council  of  the  city 
of  New  York,  requesting  me  to  join  with  them  on  the  14th  instant,  in  celebrating  the  intro- 
duction of  the  Croton  water  into  the  city  of  New  York.  My  engagements  will  deprive 
me  of  the  pleasure  of  being  present  on  the  interesting  occasion  to  which  you  allude, 

I  am,  gentlemen,  with  great  respect, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

A.  C.  FLAGG. 

Messrs. 

CLARKSON  CROLIUS,  Jr., ) 
EDWARD  D.  WEST,  }  New  York. 

WM.  DODGE,  ) 


From  the  Attorney  General  of  the /State  of  New  York. 

October  3d,  1842. 
GENTLEMEN  : — 

I  have  the  honor  to  be  in  the  receipt  of  your  favor  of  the  1st  inst.,  inviting  me,  on 
behalf  of  the  Common  Council  of  the  city  of  New  York,  to  join  with  them,  on  the  14th 
inst.,  in  celebrating  the  introduction  of  the  Croton  water  into  the  city  of  New  York. 

I  need  not  assure  you  that  it  would  give  me  great  pleasure  to  be  present  on  an  occa- 
sion so  interesting,  but  I  regret  that  professional  duties  will  compel  me  to  decline  an  invi- 
tation, the  acceptance  of  which  would  give  me  great  pleasure. 

With  the  highest  personal  consideration  for  you,  gentlemen,  and  those  you  represent, 
I  have  the  honor  to  be,  your  obedient,  humble  servant. 

GEORGE  P.  BARKER. 

To 

J.  CLARKSON  CROLIUS,  Jr.  Esq.,  Aid.  6th  Ward,-] 
EDWARD  D.  WEST,  Esq.,  Aid.  16th  Ward,  I  Committee. 

WM.  DODGE,  Esq.,  Ass't  Aid.  3d  Ward,  J 

59 


CELEBRATION    OP    THE 


From  the  Surveyor  General. 

Surveyor  General's  Office,  ) 
Albany,  October  21st,  1842.      \ 

GENTLEMEN  : — 

Absence  from  this  place,  on  official  business,  prevented  me,  until  the  16th  instant, 
from  receiving  your  polite  invitation  to  join  the  Common  Council  of  New  York,  in  cele- 
brating the  introduction  of  the  Croton  water  into  your  great  city. 

The  object  of  this  note  is  to  assure  you,  gentlemen — though  at  a  late  period — that  I 
gratefully  appreciate  your  invitation,  and  to  express  to  you  and  the  Common  Council  my 
regrets,  that  I  could  not  have  participated  in  the  felicitations  of  an  event  that  will  mark  an 
epoch,  glorious  in  the  history  of  New  York. 

With  great  consideration, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

NATHANIEL  JONES. 

CLARKSON  CROLIUS,  Esq.,1 

EDWARD  D.  WEST,  Esq.,       V  Committee,  $c. 

WM.  DODGE,  Esq., 


The  replies  of  the  foreign  Consuls  follow : 

From  the  British  Consul. 

Her  Britannic  Majesty's  Consulate,  > 
3d  Oct.,  1842.  \ 

GENTLEMEN  : — 

I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge,  and  with  feelings  of  no  ordinary  kind,  accept 
the  invitation  of  the  Common  Council,  to  join  with  them  on  the  14th  instant,  in  celebra- 
ting the  introduction  of  the  Croton  water  into  the  city — a  work,  which  stands  among 
the  greatest  enterprises  of  any  nation  on  earth,  governed  by,  and  voluntarily  paid  for,  by 
the  people.  Tyrants  have  left  monuments  which  call  forth  admiration,  but  no  work  of  a 
free  people,  for  magnitude  and  utility,  equals  this  great  enterprise.  That  such  an  event 


CROTON    AdUEDUCT.  335 

should  call  forth  an  expression  of  admiration,  and  that  the  Common  Council  should 
afford  an  opportunity  for  so  doing,  will  ever  redound  to  the  honor  of  the  city.  Most 
happy  shall  I  be,  to  assemble  and  participate  in  the  general  joyful  event. 

I  have  the  honor  to  remain,  gentlemen, 

Your  humble  servant, 

J.  BUCHANAN. 

To 

C.  CROLIUS,  Esq.,  ) 

E.  D,  WEST,  Esq.,  V  Committee, 

WILLIAM  DODGE,  Esq.,  ) 


Consulat-General 
De  France 


Aux  Etats  Unis.  J  From  the  Consul  of  France. 

New  York,  October  3d,  1842. 


The  Consul  General  of  France,  presents  his  compliments  to  the  Common  Council  of 
the  City  of  New-York,  and  will  be  very  happy  to  join  with  them  on  the  14th  inst,  to  cel- 
ebrate the  introduction  of  the  Croton  Water  into  the  city  of  New- York. 

To 

Messrs.  C.  CROLIUS,  Jr.,  Alderman  6th  Ward, 
"       E.  D.  WEST,  Alderman  16th  Ward, 
"       WM.  DODGE,  Asst.  Alderman  3d  Ward. 

Gentlemen  of  the  Committee  of  the  Common  Council  of  the  City  of  New  York. 


From  the  Consul  of  Prussia. 

Mr.  Schmidt  has  much  pleasure  in  accepting  the  invitation  with  which  the  Corpora- 
tion of  the  city  have  honored  him,  to  join  with  them  on  the  14th  inst.,  in  the  celebration 
of  the  day. 

5th  October,  1842. 


236  CELEBRATION    OP    THE 


From  the  Consul  of  the  Netherlands. 

The  Consul  of  the  Netherlands  will  have  the  honor  of  joining  with  the  Hon.  Com- 
mon Council  of  the  City,  on  the  14th  inst,  in  celebrating  the  introduction  of  the  Croton 
water  in  the  City  of  New  York,  according  to  their  polite  invitation,  dated  26th  Septem- 
ber last. 

New  York,  &th  October,  1842. 


From  the  Consul  of  Portugal. 

GENTLEMEN  : — 

The  undersigned  will  with  much  pleasure  accept  the  polite  invitation  of  the  Hon- 
orable the  Common  Council  of  the  City  of  New  York,  to  join  with  them  on  the  14th  day 
of  October  in  celebrating  the  introduction  of  the  Croton  water  into  the  city  of  New  York. 

Respectfully,  your  obed't.  serv't, 

PHILIP  N.  SEARLE. 
New  York,  3d  October,  1842. 

C.  CROLIUS,  Jr.,") 

E.  D.  WEST,        Y  Committee. 

WM.  DODGE.      J 


From  the  Swiss  Consul. 

Mr.  De  Rham,  Swiss  Consul,  accepts  the  honor  of  the  invitation  of  the  Common 
Council  for  the  Celebration  of  the  14th  inst. 

New   York,  October  6th,  1842. 


CROTON    AdUEDUCT.  237 

From  the  Consul  of   Sweden  and  Norway. 

Consulate  of  Sweden  and  Norway,  in  New  York,  October  6th,  1842. 

As  Mr.  Zachrisson  will  not  be  in  town  on  the  14th  instant,  he  regrets  that  he  can- 
not accept  of  the  invitation  from  the  Common  Council  of  the  city  of  New  York,  to  join 
with  them  in  the  Celebration  of  the  introduction  of  the  Croton  Water  into  the  city  of 
New  York. 

To  the  Common  Council  of  the  City  of  New-  Yorfc~ 


From  the  Consul  for  Greece. 

Mr.  Dutilh,  Consul  for  Greece,  regrets  that  it  is  out  of  his  power  to  accept  the  very 
flattering  invitation  of  the  Honorable  the  Common  Council  of  the  city  of  New- York,  for 
the  14th  instant. 

New   York,   October  6th,  1842. 


From  the  Meklenburg  Consul. 

Meklenburg  Consulate,  New  York,  October  1st,  1842. 

Consul  Heckscher  regrets  that  absence  from  town,  will  deprive  him  of  the  honor, 
kindly  tendered  him  by  the  Honorable  Common  Council, -of  joining  with  them  on  the 
X4th  day  of  October,  in  celebrating  the  introduction  of  the  Croton  Water  into  this 
city. 

60 


238  CELEBRATION    OP    THE 

From  the  Consul  of  the   Two  Sicilies. 

New- York,  October  6th,  1842. 
To  the  Committee  of  the  Croton    Water. 

SIRS: 

The  Consul  General  of  the  Two  Sicilies,  in  acknowledging  the  receipt  of  the  po- 
lite invitation  of  the  Common  Council  of  the  city  of  New  York,  has  the  honor  to  inform 
the  Committee,  that  he  will  be  most  happy  to  join  them  on  the  appointed  day. 

Respectfully  your  obedient  servant, 

R.  MARTRYCELL. 

To 

C.  CROLIUS,      } 

E.  D.  WEST,      }    Committee. 

WM.  DODGE,    ) 


Consulate  of  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Hesse. 

New-York,  8th  October,  1842. 

GENTLEMEN: — 

Your  favor  of  26th  ultimo,  has  been  received  only  a  few  days  ago. 
The  honor  of  your  invitation  is  accepted  by  your  obedient  servant, 

A.  BOLLERMANN,  Consul 

Messrs. 

C.   CROLIUS,  Jr.,   Ald'n.,    ) 

E.   D.  WEST,  Ald'n.,  >  Committee. 

WM.   DODGE,  Ass't  Ald'n.,  > 


CROTON    AQUEDUCT. 


From  the  Consul  of  Frankfort. 

The  undersigned,  Consul  of  Frankfort  on  the  Main,  feels  honored  by  the  invitation 
of  the  Honorable  Common  Council  of  the  city  of  New  York,  of  the  26th  September,  and 
will  with  pleasure  join  with  them  on  the  14th  inst,  in  celebrating  the  introduction  of  the 
Croton  water  into  the  city  of  New  York,  if  not  prevented  by  circumstances  out  of  his 
control. 

Respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

FRED.  WISSMANN. 
New-  York,  Qth  September,  1842. 

rs 

6.  CROLIUS,  Jr.,  Ald'n.  6th  Ward, 
E.   D.  WEST,  Ald'n.   16th  Ward,  \  Committee. 

WM.  DODGE,  Ass't  Ald'n.    3d  Ward, 


From  the  Consul  of  Mexico. 

New  York,  October  6th,  1842. 
GENTLEMEN  : — 

I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  invitation  to  join  with  you  in 
celebrating  the  introduction  of  the  Croton  water  into  the  City  of  New  York,  to 
which  absence  from  the  city  alone  prevented  my  answering  before,  and  I  now  do  it,  re- 
gretting exceedingly  the  necessity  which  compels  me  to  a  further  absence,  and  conse- 
quently deprives  me  of  the  pleasure  of  participating  with  you  in  the  celebration  of  so 
auspicious  an  event. 

Very  respectfully, 

Your  obd't.  servant, 

JOHN  GRANJA. 

To  Hon.  Messrs. 

C.  CROLIUS,  JR.  ) 

E.  D.  WEST.         V  Committee. 

WM.  DODGE,       ) 


240 


CELEBRATION    OP    T  HE 


From  the  Consul  of  Venezuela. 

Consulate  of  Venezuela  in  the  City  of  New  York, 
GENTLEMEN  : — 

The  undersigned  cheerfully  accepts  the  polite  invitation  of  the  Common  Council 
of  the  City  of  New  York,  to  join  in  the  celebration  of  the  introduction  of  the  Croton  Water 
into  this  city. 

October  7th,  1842.      . 

Very  respectfully,  your  obdt  servant, 

J.  B.  PURROY, 

Consul  of  Venezuela 
To 

C.  CROLIUS,  JR.         1. 

E.  D,  WEST,  and         >  Committee,  etc, 

WM.  DODGE,  Esqr's.  ) 


From  the  Consul  of  Texas. 

Consulate  of  Texas,  New  York,  October  11, 1842: 
GENTLEMEN  : — 

I  duly  received  your  kind- invitation  of  26th  September,  to  join  the  Honorable,  the 
Common  Council  of  this  city,  on  the  14th  instant,  in  celebrating  the  introduction  of  the 
Croton  Water  into  the  City  of  New  York, 

I  have  delayed  until  now  to  acknowledge  the  honor  of  your  invitation,  in  the  hope 
that  I  should  be  enabled  to  be  present  on  that  interesting  occasion.  But  fearing  that  my 
engagements  for  that  day  will  deprive  me  of  the  pleasure,  I  pray  you  will  accept  my  re- 
gret and  excuse  my  absence. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  gentlemen; 

very  respectfully, 

your  obliged  servant, 

J.  H.  BROWER, 

To 

CLARKSON  CROLIUS,  JR.,  Esq.  Alderman  6th  Ward,  "I 

E.  D.  WEST,  Esq.  Alderman  16th  Ward,  \Committee. 

WILLIAM  DODGE,  Esq.,  Asst.  Alderman  3d  Ward, 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT.  241 

The  Officers  of  the  Army  and  Navy  on  the  station,  and  other  Naval  Officers  casually 
here,  being  invited,  made  these  replies : 

From  the  Officers  of  the   U.  S.  A. 

Head  Quarters,  Fort  Columbus,  October  11,  1842. 

Col.  Bankhead,  and  the  Officers  of  the  Army  on  this  station,  accept  with  pleasure, 
the  invitation  of  the  Common  Council  of  New  York,  to  join  with  them,  on  the  14th  inst., 
in  celebrating  the  introduction  of  the  Croton  Water  into  the  City. 

JAS.  BANKHEAD, 

Colonel  2d  Artillery. 
Messrs. 

C.  CROLIUS,    ) 

E.  D.  WEST,     V  Committee 

WM.  DODGE.  S 


From  the  Officers  of  the   U.  S.  N. 

Navy  Yard,  New  York,  October  7th,  1843. 

GENTLEMEN : — 

I  have  had  the  honor  of  receiving  through  you  an  invitation  from  the  Common 
Council  of  the  city  of  New  York,  inviting  myself  and  the  officers  of  the  Navy  Yard, 
"  to  join  with  them,  on  the  14th  day  of  October  next,  in  celebrating  the  introduction  of 
the  Croton  water  into  the  city  of  New  York ;"  and  I  beg  to  assure  the  Committee,  that 
the  Officers  and  myself  will  have  the  greatest  pleasure  in  participating  in  an  event  so 
memorable. 

With  great  respect, 

I  have  the  honor, 

Your  most  ob't  serv't, 

M.  C.  PERRY, 

To  Com.  Navy   Yard,  N.   Y. 

Alderman  C.  CROLIUS,  Jr.' 

"         E.  D.  WEST,        }-  Committee. 
«         WM.  DODGE, 

61 


242  CELEBRATION    OF    THE 

From   W.  C.    Wetmore,  Commander  of  the  North  Carolina. 

U.  S.  Ship  North  Carolina,  October  13th,  1842. 
GENTLEMEN  : — 

The  Officers  of  the  North  Carolina  have  had  the  honor  to  receive  the  polite  invita- 
tion from  the  Common  Council  of  the  city  of  New  York  to  join  with  them  on  the  14th 
day  of  October,  in  celebrating  the  introduction  of  the  Croton  water.  The  Boys  of  the 
Naval  School  will  be  in  attendance  if  the  weather  should  be  favorable,  if  not,  the  want  of 
wi  nter  clothing,  which  has  not  been  received  on  board,  will  prevent  their  appearance. 

Will  the  Committee  please  state  the  time  and  place  of  meeting  for  them  on  that 
occasion. 

Very  Respectfully, 

Your  Obedient  Servant, 

W.  C.  WETMORE. 

Commander. 
To  Messrs. 

CLARKSON  CROLIUS,  J 

E.    D.    WEST,  >  Aldermen  and  Committee  of  Arrangements. 

WM.   DODGE.  S 


From  the  Naval  Court  Martial. 

The  President  and  Members  of  the  Naval  General  Court  Martial,  now  sitting  on 
board  this  ship,  regret  that  it  is  not  in  their  power  to  accept  the  polite  invitation  of  the 
Common  Council  of  the  city  of  New  York,  to  join  with  them  on  the  14th  instant,  in 
celebrating  the  introduction  of  the  Croton  Water  into  the  city  of  New- York. 

United  States  Ship  North  Carolina. 
October  5th,  1842. 


From  the  Judge  of  the  Southern  District  of  New  York,  and  from  the  United  States 
District  Attorney,  who  accepted  the  invitation. 


r  CROTONAaUEDUCT.  243 

From  the  United  States  District  Judge. 

City  Hall,  October  13,  1842. 

J  udge  Belts  accepts  with  pleasure  the  invitation  of  the  Honorable  Common  Council 
to  unite  with  them  in  the  Croton  celebration  to-morrow. 


From  the  United  States  District  Attorney. 

Mr.  Ogden  Hoffman  accepts,  with  great  pleasure,  the  invitation  of  the  Common 
Council  to  join  with  them  in  celebrating  the  introduction  of  the  Croton  water  into  the 

city  of  New  York. 

October  13,  1842. 


The  first  Water  Commissioners,  and  the  resident  and  assistant  engineers,  employed 
on  the  work,  respectively  answered  as  follows : 


From  William  W.  Fox. 
To  C.  CROLIUS,  E.  D.  WEST,  WM.  DODGE,  Esqr's, — 

Yours  of  the  26th  Sept.,  inviting  me  to  join  with  the  Common  Council  in  celebrating 
the  introduction  of  the  Croton  water  into  the  City  of  New  York,  was  this  day  received. 
Circumstances  will  prevent  my  accompanying  the  procession.  Accept  my  thanks  for  your 
attention  in  giving-  the  invitation. 

Respectfully, 
New  York,  October  Wth,  1842.  WILLIAM  W.  FOX. 


244  CELEBRATION    OF    THE 

From  Benjamin  M,  Brown. 

Nelson's  Hill,  Mamaroneck,  8th  October,  1842, 
To  C.  CROLIUS,  JR.,  E.  D.  WEST,  WM.  DODGE,  Esqr's.  Committee,  etc. 
GENTLEMEN  : — 

Your  polite  invitation  to  join  in  the  interesting  ceremonies  of  celebrating  the  intro- 
duction of  the  Croton  water  into  the  city  of  New  York,  I  received  this  day,  and  it  will 
afford  me  much  pleasure  to  attend  the  same. 

The  subject  of  introducing  pure  and  wholesome  water  in  the  city,  was  one  that 
early  engaged  my  attention  when  entering  public  life,  and  it  does  afford  me  much  satisfac- 
tion to  see  its  successful  accomplishment. 

Respectfully,  your  ob't.  serv't., 

BENJAMIN  M.  BROWN.' 


From  the  Chief  Engineer. 

New  York,  10th  October,  1842. 

To  CLARKSON  CROLIUS,  Esq.,  Chairman  Committee  of  Invitation  ) 
for  Croton  Aqueduct  celebration.  $ 

Sin:— 

I  received  the  invitation  of  Committee  to  attend  the  celebration  of  the  introduction 
of  the  Croton  water  into  the  city,  and  hope  my  health  will  be  so  far  restored  by  that  day, 
as  to  allow  me  the  pleasure  of  participating  in  the  celebration  of  this  event,  to  which  I 
have  looked  with  no  ordinary  care  and  responsibility  for  near  six  years.  The  work,  I 
trust,  will  fulfil  the  highest  expectations  of  usefulness,  which  induced  the  city  to  enter 
upon  the  great  enterprise. 

Yery  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  B.  JERVIS. 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT. 


245 


From  E.  French,  Esq.,  Resident  Engineer. 

Engineer's  Office,  1st  division  Croton  Aqueduct, 

Sing  Sing,  October  11,  1842. 
GENTLEMEN  : — 

I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt,  and  to  signify  my  acceptance,  of  the 
invitation  to  join  with  the  Common  Council  of  the  city  of  New  York  in  celebrating  the 
introduction  of  the  Croton  water,  which  you  have  so  kindly  favored  me  with. 
With  much  respect, 

Your  obedient  servant, 
E.  FRENCH, 

Resident  engineer, 
To  Messrs.  1st  division  Croton  Aqueduct. 

C.  CROLIUS,  Jr.,  Alderman  6th  ward,  ) 

E.  D.  WEST,  do.       16th    do.    }  Committee. 

WM  DODGE,  do.         3d     do.    ^ 


From  Mr.  Hastings,  late  Resident  Engineer. 

New  York,  October  7th,  1842. 
GENTLEMEN  : — 

I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  circular  letter  of  the  26th  ult., 
inviting  me  to  join  with  the  Honorable  Corporation  of  the  city  of  New  York,  in  celebra- 
ting the  introduction,  &c.,  of  the  Croton  water  on  the  14th  inst. 

I  thank  you,  gentlemen,  and  the  honorable  body  you  represent,  for  your  polite  invi- 
tation, and  shall  be  most  happy  to  join  them  in  the  celebration  of  an  event  so  honorable 
to  them  and  useful  to  the  people  of  this  great  city. 

With  great  respect, 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  Messrs., 

Your  most  obedient  servant, 

H.  P.  HASTINGS. 

Hon.  C.  CROLIUS,  Jr.,  ) 

E.  D.  WEST,  and  >  Committee. 

WM.  DODGE,        i 
62 


246  CELEBRATION    OF    THE 


From  the  Assistant  Engineer. 

Sing  Sing,  October  llth,  1842. 
GENTLEMEN  : — 

The  undersigned  acknowledges  the  honor  of  an  invitation  of  the  Common  Council 
of  the  city  of  New  York,  to  join  with  them  in  celebrating  the  "  introduction  of  the 
Croton  water  into  the  city  of  New  York,"  and  accepts  the  same  with  great  pleasure. 

Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

M.  CHURCHILL, 

Ass't.  Eng'r. 


To  Messrs. 


C.  CROLIUS,     ) 

E.  D.  WEST,      V  Committee. 

W.  M.  DODGE,  > 


From  the  Assistant  Engineer. 

GENTLEMEN  : — 

I  have  the  honor  to  accept  the  invitation  of  the  Common  Council,  to  join  with  them 
in  celebrating  the  introduction  of  the  Croton  water. 

Respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JAMES  RENWICK,  Jr., 

Ass't.  Eng'r. 
Aldermen 

CROLIUS,  WEST,  and  DODGE, 

Committee. 


Invitations  were  also  extended  to  the  municipal  authorities  of  contiguous  cities  and 
States. 


CROTON    AQ,UEDUOT. 


247 


The  Governor  of  New  Jersey,   prevented  by  public  business  from  being  present, 
apologised  as  follows : 


From  the  Governor  of  New  Jersey. 


GENTLEMEN  :- 


Trenton,  N.  J.,  October  13th,  1842. 


Your  letter  reached  me  at  this  place  this  moment.  I  regret  very  much  that  my 
public  duties  here  will  prevent  my  being  with,  you  to-morrow,  at  the  celebration  of  one 
of  the  most  beneficial  works  in  our  country,  and  which  cannot  fail  to  promote  in  a  large 
degree  the  health  and  comfort  of  your  city. 

With  my  thanks  to  the  Common  Council,  for  their  polite  invitation, 

I  remain, 

Your  very  obedient  servant, 

WILLIAM  PENNINGTON. 


To 


C.  CROLIUS, 
E.  D:  WEST, 
WM.  DODGE,Esqrs. 


Committee, 


To  Messrs. 


CLARKSON   CROLIUS, 
E.    D.  WEST,  and 
WM.  DODGE. 


GENTLEMEN  :- 


Trenton,  October  12th,  1842. 


Yours  of  the  10th  instant,  was  received  by  this  morning's  mail.  I  have  the  honor 
on  the  part  of  the  Common  Council  of  the  city  of  Trenton,  of  informing  you  that  the 
invitation  is  accepted.  The  Council  have  determined  to  come  on  in  the  Thursday  even- 
ing train  of  cars. 

Very  Respectfully, 

Your  Obedient  Servant, 

CHARLES  BURROUGHS,  Mayor. 


248  CELEBRATION    OF    THE 

From  the  Mayor  of  Princeton. 

Princeton,  12th  Oct.,  1842. 
GENTLEMEN : — 

The  Common  Council  of  the  Borough  of  Princeton,  accept  with  great  pleasure 
the  invitation  of  the  Common  Council  of  the  City  of  New  York,  to  join  with  them  on 
the  14th  inst,  in  celebrating  the  introduction  of  the  Croton  water  into  the  city. 

Very  respectfully, 

Your  ob't  serv't, 

ALEX.  M.  CUMMING,  Mayor. 

To 

CLARKSON  CROLIUS,  Jun'r.,  ) 

E.  D,  WEST,  and  }  Committee. 

WM.  DODGE,  Esq'rs.,  ) 


From  the  Mayor  of  New  Brunswick- 

New  Brunswick,  Oct.  llth,  1842. 
GENTLEMEN  : — 

The  Common  Council  of  this  city  have  authorised  me  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of 
your  invitation,  to  join  with  the  Honorable  the  Common  Council  of  the  city  of  New  York 
in  their  celebration  on  the  14th  inst.,  and  to  accept  of  the  same,  which  I  do  with  great 
pleasure. 

I  am  very  respectfully, 

Your  ob't.  serv't. 

FITZ  RANDOLPH  SMITH,  Mayor, 
To 

Hon.  Aid.  CROLIUS,     ) 
"      «    WEST,  \Committee. 

«  Asst.  Aid.  DODGE,  J 


(J  ROT  ON    AQ.UEDUCT.  249 

From  the  Mayor  of  Elizabethtown, 

To  the  Hon.  C.  CROLIUS,  JR., 

SIR:— 

The  polite  invitation  from  the  committee  of  the  Corporation  of  New  York  to  the 
Corporation  of  Elizabethtown,  to  join  with  them  in  celebrating  the  introduction  of  the 
Croton  water  into  their  city  is  acknowledged.  This  corporation  connot  but  be  suitably 
impressed  with  the  value  of  such  an  invitation,  and  they  have  instructed  me  to  return  for 
answer  their  acceptance  of  it,  and  their  congratulation  at  the  completion  of  a  work  so  mag- 
nificent in  design  and  so  successful  in  execution.  They  propose  to  reach  the  Battery  Ho- 
tel by  the  8  o'clock  boat,  on  Friday  morning,  which  will  probably  reach  the  city  by  half 
past  nine  in  the  morning.  With  the  sincere  wish  that  your  great  city  may  realize  all  its 
anticipations  from  this  stupendous  work,  I  am,  with  great  respect, 

Your  ob't.  serv't., 

WM.  CHETWOOD, 

Mayor  of  the  Borough. 


From  the  Common  Council  of  Newark,  N.  J. 

City  of  Newark,  October  llth,  1842. 
GENTLEMEN  : — 

Your  letter  of   invitation  to    "  the   Mayor  and   Common   Council  of  the  city  of 
Newark,"  has  been  duly  received. 

I  am  instructed,  in  communicating  the  acceptance  of  the  invitation,  to  say,  that  the 
Mayor  and  Common  Council  of  Newark,  regard  the  great  work  referred  to  in  your  com- 
munication, as  an  enduring  monument  of  the  enterprise  of  the  citizens  of  New  York,  and 
also  of  the  ability  and  vigor  of  those  Councils  which  have  conferred  so  many  practical 
benefits  and  advantages  on  the  Commercial  Metropolis  of  our  country. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

very  respectfully, 

your  ob't.  serv't., 

JOSEPH  N.  TUTTLE, 

Clerk  of  the  Common  Council 
Messrs.   C.  CROLIUS,  JR.,  1 

"          E.  D.  WEST,  Y  Committee,  ett: 

«         WM.  DODGE,         J- 

63 


250  CE-LEBRATION    OF    TH<E 

From  the  Mayor  and  Common  Council  of  Jersey  City. 

Jersey  City,  4th  October,  1842. 
GENTLEMEN: — 

The  Mayor  and  Common  Council  of  Jersey  City  accept  your  polite  invitation  to 
be  present  at  the  "celebration,  on  the  14th  instant,  of  the  introduction  of  the  Croton  water 
into  the  city  of  New  York,"  and  have  instructed  me  to  notify  you  thereof. 

Assuring  you  that  this  evidence  of  your  neighborly  consideration  shall  be  greatfully 
remembered  and  reciprocated, 

I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

THOMAS  A.  ALEXANDER 

To 

C.  CROLIUS,  Jr.,  ~) 

E.  D.  WEST,  }•  Committee. 

WILLIAM  DODGE,  Esquires.  J 


From  the  Mayor  of  Philadelphia. 

Mayor's  Office,  Philadelphia,  ( 
October  7,  1842.  \ 

GENTLEMEN  : — 

I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  note  of  the  24th  September, 
inviting  the  Select  and  Common  Councils  and  the  Mayor  of  this  city  to  participate  in  the 
ceremonies  of  the  14th  instant,  intended  to  celebrate  the  introduction  of  the  Croton  water 
into  your  noble  city. 

I  am  instructed  by  the  Councils  to  express  their  regret,  that  as  the  14th  falls  on  the 
day  on  which  the  new  Councils  are  annually  organized,  and  sworn  into  office,  the  mem- 
bers of  these  bodies  will  then  necessarily  be  restrained  by  their  official  duties  from  leaving 
this  city. 

As  the  oath  of  office  is  usually  administered  by  the  Mayor,  the  same  cause  will  inter- 
fere to  prohibit  his  departure,  and  deprive  him  of  a  great  enjoyment. 


C ROT ON    AQ.UEDUCT.  251 

While  the  authorities  of  this  city  are  thus  obliged  to  give  up  the  pleasure  you  tender 
to  their  acceptance,  they  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity,  to  offer  their  warm  congra- 
tulations to  their  sister  city  upon  her  successful  accomplishment  of  this  magnificent  enter- 
prise. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

Gentlemen, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

J.  M.  SCOTT, 

Mayor  of  Philadelphia. 
To 

GEORGE  F.  NESBITT,  HENRY  E.  DAVIES, 

WILLIAM  DODGE,  CHAS.  W.  SMITH, 

DANIEL  WARD,  EDWARD  D.  WEST, 

CHAS.  J.  DODGE,  FREDERICK  R.   LEE, 

RICHARD  H.  ATWOOD,  CLARKSON  CROLIUS, 

Board  of  Assistant  Aldermen.  Board  of-  Aldermen^ 

Committee  of  Arrangements. 


From  the  Mayor  of  Brooklyn. 

Mayor's  Office,  > 

Brooklyn,  October  5,  1842.  \ 
^GENTLEMEN  : — 

In  answer  to  your  very  friendly  invitation  to  the  members  of  this  Corporation  to 
join  with  your  Common  Council  in  celebrating  the  introduction  of  the  Croton  water 
into  the  city  of  New  York,  on  the  14th  instant,  I  am  requested  to  say  that  the  invitation 
has  been  accepted,  and  a  Committee,  consisting  of  Aldermen  Thomas  G.  Talmage,  Thos. 
J.  Gerald,  and  James  Hazlit,  has  been  appointed  on  behalf  of  the  Common  Council,  to  at- 
tend to  any  necessary  arrangements.  Any  communications  may  be  made  to  that  Com- 
mittee. 

Yours,  &c. 

To  HENRY  C.  MURPHY. 

C.  CROLIUS, 
E  D.  WEST, 
WM.  DODGE,  Esqrs. 


252  CELEBRATION    OF    THE 

From  the  President  of  Williamsburgli  Trustees. 

Williamsburgh,  October  13th,  1842. 
GENTLEMEN  : — 

Your  polite  invitation  in  behalf  of  the  Common  Council  of  the  city  of  New  York, 
bearing  date  the  26th  day  of  September,  and  post  marked,  New  York,  October  2d,  did  not 
come  to  hand  till  this  morning. 

I  shall  call  a  special  meeting  of  the  Board  this  afternoon,  and  shall  lay  your 
nication  before  them. 

I  regret  that  it  had  not  come  to  hand  in  due  course,  as  it  has  been  the  source  of  much 
surprise  that  our  little  village  should  have  been  so  far  overlooked,  as  there  is  none  who 
feel  more  interest  in  participating  in  celebrating  the  completion  of  a  work  that  has  not  its 
equal  in  this  or  any  other  country. 

• 

I  am,  very  respectfully. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

JNO.  C.  MINTURN, 

President  of  the  Village,  Williamsburgh. 

Messrs. 

C.  CROLIUS,  Ald'n.  6th  Ward, 
E.  D.  WEST,  Ald'n.   16th  Ward, 
WILLIAM  DODGE,  Ass't.  Ald'n.  3d  Ward. . 


From  the  Common  Council  of  Albany. 

Albany,  4th  October,  1842. 
GENTLEMEN  : — 

In  behalf  of  the  Common  Council  of  the  city  of  Albany,  we  have  the  honor  to 
acknowledge  the  receipt  of  an  invitation  from  the  Corporation  of  New  York  to  attend  the 
celebration  of  the  introduction  of  the  Croton  water  into  your  city. 

By  a  resolution  of  the  Common  Council,  unanimously  adopted  last  evening,  the  invi- 
tation was  accepted,  and  the  undersigned  appointed  a  Committee  to  make  the  necessary 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT.  253 

arrangements  for  carrying  the  same  into  effect.     It  is  most  probable  that  the  number  of 
persons  who  will  attend  will  be  about  twenty-five. 

We  will  leave  here  in  the  evening  boat  of  the  13th  instant. 
We  have  the  honor  to  be, 

Respectfully,  your  obedient  servants, 

COR.  TEN  BROECK,  )  Committee  on  the  part 
CHAUNCEY  WHITNEY,  }  of  the  Common  Coun- 
JOHN  McKNIGHT,  \  cU  of  Albany. 

CLARKSON  CROLIUS,  Jr.,  i 
EDWARD  D.  WEST,  and      V  Committee 
WILLIAM  DODGE.  Esqrs.,  \ 


From  the  Mayor  of  Troy. 

Troy,  October  4th,  1842. 
GKNTLEMEN :— 

I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of  the  1st  irist,  inviting 
the  Mayor  and  Common  Council  of  Troy  to  join  the  Corporation  of  New  York  on  the 
14th  of  the  present  month,  in  celebrating-  the  introduction  of  the  Croton  water  into  your 
city.  I  take  the  earliest  opportunity  to  convey  to  you,  gentlemen,  and  through  you,  to 
your  Common  Council,  the  thanks  of  our  Board  and  my  own,  for  the  invitation,  and  our 
acceptance  of  it. 

The  period  fixed  for  the  celebration  is  one  when  our  citizens  are  usually  much  occu- 
pied with  business,  which,  with  previous  engagements,  will  prevent  a  full  attendance  from 
•Mir  Board.  Our  intercourse  with  New  York  is  so  frequent  and  intimate,  that  we  are 
always  "at  home"  in  your  good  city  ;  and  while  we  sensibly  appreciate  your  hospitable 
intimation,  that  arrangements  will  be  made  for  our  accommodation,  we  are  well  aware 
that  the  duties  of  the  Committee  will  be  various  and  most  arduous  permit ;  those  of  us, 
therefore,  who  are  able  to  avail  ourselves  of  your  invitation,  to  report  ourselves  on  the 
64 


254  CELEBRATION    OF    THE 

morning  of  the  celebration,  and  to  give  you  no  further  trouble  than  to  assign  us  such 
place  in  your  order  of  arrangements  as  you  may  wish  us  to  occupy. 
Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

JONAS  C.  HEARTT, 

To  Mayor  of  Troy, 

C.  CROLIUS,  Jr.,          ) 
E.  D.  WEST,  and          \  Committee,  &c. 
WM.  DODGE,  Esqrs.,  J 


An  invitation  to  the  Officers  and  Cadets  of  the  U.  S.  Military  Academy,  was  acknow- 
ledged, and  declined  thus : 


From  Capt.  Swift,   U.  j$.  Corps  of  Engineers. 

West  Point,  October  13th,  1842. 
GENTLEMEN: — 

Your  invitation  to  the  Superintendent  of  the  Military  Academy,  and  the  Corps  of 
Cadets,  to  attend  the  Croton  water  celebration  to-morrow,  has  just  been  received. 

The  permanent  Superintendent  of  the  Academy,  is  at  present  absent,  and  during  his 
absence  I  do  not  feel  myself  authorised  to  accept  for  the  Cadets,  your  flattering  invitation, 
I  must  express,  however,  for  the  Corps,  my  high  appreciation  of  the  honor  conferred  upon 
them  by  the  invitation. 

Very  respectfully,  gentlemen, 

your  obedient  servant, 

ALEX.  I.  SWIFT, 
Captain  U.  S.  Corps  of  Engineers, 
Acting  Superintendent 

Messrs.  Military  Academy. 

CROLIUS,  WEST,  &  DODGE, 

Committee  of  Arrangements, 
of  the  Common  Council  of  New   York. 


C ROT ON    AQ.UEDUCT.  255 

From  among  many  received,  the  organs  of  deputations,  and  from  private  guests,  the 
following  are  selected : 


From  John  Anthon,  Chairman  of  Meeting  of  the  Bar. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  members  of  the  Bar  of  the  city  of  New  York,  held  at  the  room  of 
the  Law  Institute,  in  the  City  Hall,  on  Tuesday,  October  4,  1842,  on  motion  of  Mr.  David 

Graham,  Mr.  John  Anthon  was  called  to  the  Chair,  and  John  W.  Edmonds  appointed 
Secretary. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Daniel  Lord,  Jr.,  it  was 

Resolved,  That  the  members  of  the  Bar  will  co-operate  with  the  Common  Council, 
and  their  fellow  citizens,  in  celebrating  the  completion  of  the  Croton  Water  Works. 

Resolved,  That  Messrs.  John  W.  Edmonds,  James  W.  Gerard,  Daniel  Lord,  Jr., 
Robert  J.  Dillon,  and  George  Griffen,  be  a  committee  to  act  in  behalf  of  the  Bar  on  that 
occasion. 

JNO.  ANTHON, 

Chairman. 
J.  W.  EDMONDS,  Secretary. 


To  HENRY  E.  DAVIES,  Esq.,  Alderman,  $c. 
SIR:— 

Herewith  I  have  the  pleasure  of  forwarding  to  you,  in  obedience  to  the  directions 
of  the  members  of  the  Bar,  an  account  of  their  proceedings  at  a  meeting  held  this  day  in 
the  room  of  the  Law  Institute,  and  beg  to  inform  you,  that  the  committee  appointed  on 
that  occasion,  are  ready  to  co-operate  with  your  committee  at  once. 

Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

J.  W.  EDMONDS. 

October  4,  1842. 


CELEBRATION    OF    THE 


From  the  Chairman  of  the  New  York  Pilots. 

New  York,  October  13th,  1842. 
To  Messrs.  DA  VIES,  SMITH,  WEST,  &c., 

Committee,  of  Arrangements  Croton  Celebration,  Sfc 
GENTLEMEN  : — 

In  answer  to  your  communication,  dated  September,  22d,  1842,  the  New  York  and 
Sandy  Hook  Pilots  would  be  gratified  to  have  a  situation  in  line  assigned  them  at  the  cele- 
bration of  the  great  work  of  bringing  pure  and  wholesome  water  into  our  city. 

They  will  number  some  thirty  or  more,  with  a  banner,  &c. 

Yours,  very  truly, 

JOHN  HYER, 

Chairman  Committee  of  Arrangements. 
GREGORY  THOMAS,  Secretary. 


From  the  Counsel  of  the  Corporation. 

Mr.  D.  Graham,  Jr.,  accepts  with  pleasure,  the  invitation  with  which  the  Commit- 
tee on  the  Croton  Celebration  have  honored  him,  for  the  14th  instant. 

84  Warren-street,  Oct.  13,  1842. 


From  the  Public  Administrator. 

New  York,  October  13,  1842. 


To 

G  CROLIUS,  JR.,  Esq.,  Aid.  6th  Ward,  ) 

E.   D.  WEST,  Esq.,  Aid.  16th  Ward,  and  }  Committee. 

WM.  DODGE,  Esq.  Ass't.  Aid,  3d  Ward,  ) 

GENTLEMEN  : — 


I  have  received  to-day  the  invitation  of  the  Common  Council  through  your  commit- 


CROTON    AGttJEDUCT.  257 

tee,  to  join  them  on  the  14th  day  of  October,  in  celebrating  the  introduction  of  the  Oroton 
water  into  the  city  of  New  York. 

I  thank  yon  for  the  invitation,  and  shall  be  happy  in  accepting  it. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

Your  obed't.  serv't, 

EDGAR  KETCHUM. 


From  Pierre  Van  Cortlandt. 

Peekskill,  October  8th,  1842. 
To  C.  CROLIUS,  JR.,  E.  D.  WEST,  WM.  DODGE,  Esq'rs. 

GENTLEMEN : — 

I  have  this  day  received  your  polite  invitation  from  the  Common  Council  of 
the  city  of  New  York,  to  join  with  them  on  the  14th  instant,  to  celebrate  the  introduction 
of  the  Croton  water  into  the  City  of  New  York.  With  pleasure  I  accept  your  invitation, 
and  will  be  in  New  York  at  the  time  appointed. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  gentlemen, 

Your  ob't.  serv't., 

PIERRE  VAN  CORTLANDT. 


From  the  Justices  of  the  Marine  Court. 

To  the  Honorable 

CLARKSON  CROLIUS, 
E.  D.  WEST, 
WM.  DODGE. 

The  Justices  of  the  Marine  Court,  Hammond,  Sherman,  and  Randall,  have  the  honor 
65 


258  CELEBRATION    OF    THE 

to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  the  invitation,  which  they  accept  with  pleasure,  to  join  with 
the  Common  Council  of  the  city  of  New  York,  on  the  14th  instant,  in  celebrating  the 
introduction  of  the  Croton  water  into  said  city. 

October  13th,  1842. 


The  following  characteristic  letter,  from  a  former,  and  much  respected  citizen  of  New 
York,  well  deserves  a  place  in  this  record  : 


Burlington,  New  Jersey,  October  10th,  1842. 
ESTEEMED  FRIENDS  : — 

Accept  my  very  grateful  acknowledgments  for  your  kindness  in  extending  to  me  an 
invitation  to  attend  the  celebration  of  the  introduction  of  the  Croton  water  into  the  city, 
on  the  14th  instant. 

Several  engagements  interfere  to  prevent  my  acceptance  of  the  favor,  and  it  might 
not  comport  very  well  with  one  of  my  age  and  habits  to  join  in  the  'parade,  and  mingle 
in  the  festivities  of  the  celebration  ;  but  I  do  not  the  less  rejoice,  and  that  most  heartily, 
that  we  have  lived  to  witness  the  accomplishment  of  a  work,  which  must  confer  an  im- 
measurable amount  of  comfort  and  safety  on  the  city  at  large. 

Since  my  first  acquaintance  with  New- York  as  a  citizen,  it  has  increased  about  five 
fold  in  numbers,  and  probably  as  much  in  wealth.  It  was  my  privilege,  during  a  25  years, 
residence,  to  unite  with  my  very  truly  esteemed  fellow-citizens,  in  the  establishment  and 
promotion  of  several  of  the  beneficent  institutions  which  now  add  dignity  to  the  cha- 
racter of  the  city.  Among  the  enterprises  (in  prospect,)  was  one  for  providing  an  ample 
supply  of  pure  water.  For  this  purpose,  I  once  went  on  a  mission  to  Albany.  That 
project,  doubtless,  happily  for  the  city,  proved  abortive. 

That  the  present  great  undertaking  should  have  succeeded  in  so  reasonable  a  time 
from  its  commencement,  in  the  midst  of  financial  difficulties,  redound  most  highly  to  the 
credit  of  the  authorities,  the  committee,  the  engineers,  the  artificers,  and  the  public. 


CROTON    AQUEDUCT.  259 

That  the  city  has  enjoyed  the  blessings  of  peace  and  prosperity,  during  the  execution  of 
this  noble  enterprise,  though  not  unmingled  with  severe  privations,  is  cause  of  devout 
gratitude  to  our  Heavenly  Benefactor. 

May  this  virtue  flow  as  freely  through  the  hearts  of  the  cizens,  to  the  banishment  of 
intemperance,  and  the  promotion  of  health  and  morals,  as  the  waters  of  the  Oroton  will 
hereafter  flow  through  the  arteries  and  veins  of  its  two  great  reservoirs. 

I  am,  with  sentiments  of  great  regard, 

Very  truly  your  Friend, 

JOHN  GRISCOM. 

C.  CROLIUS,  Jr.    ) 

E.  D.  WEST,          }  Committee. 

WM.  DODGE.        > 


The  next  note  is  from  a  London  banker,  of  celebrity,  then  happening  to  be  in  this 
city: 


Mr.  H.  Palmer  will  have  great  pleasure  in  accepting  the  invitation  of  the  Common 
Council  of  the  city  of  New  York,  to  join  them  on  the  14th  inst.,  in  celebrating  the  intro- 
duction of  the  Croton  water  into  the  city. 

Globe  Hotel,  7th  October,  1842. 


The  Engineer  and  Superintendent,  we  believe,  of  the  Fairmount  Water  Works,  was 
prevented  by  indispensable  engagements,  from  his  being  present,  and  thus  sent  his  good 
wishes ; 


,260  CELEBRATION    OF    THE 

Philadelphia,  October  4,  1842. 
GENTLEMEN  : — 

Your  kind  invitation  of  Sept.  26,  inviting  me  to  join  in  the  celebration  of  the  in- 
troduction of  the  Croton  water,  has  been  received. 

To  meet  your  Honorable  Councils  and  the  gentlemen  who  have  brought  your  great 
works  to  so  happy  a  termination,  would  be  a  high  source  of  gratification  to  me  ;  but  it  so 
happens  that  the  day  named  is  the  one  on  which  the  inauguration  of  our  Councils  takes 
place,  which  circumstance  will  prevent  them,  as  well  as  myself,  from  participating  in  the 
enjoyment  of  seeing  a  flow  of  wholesome  water  passing  through  your  streets — equal  in 
magnitude,  and  more  effective  in  the  arrangements  and  stability  of  the  work,  than  any 
other  extant. 

May  the  citizens  of  your  great  city  appreciate  and  enjoy  the  health  and  blessings 
produced  by  your  spirit  of  enterprise. 

With  great  respect, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

FREDERICK  GRAFF. 

To  Messrs. 

CLARKSON  CROLIUS,Jun.,1 

E.  D.  WEST,  *>  Committee  of  Invitation. 

WILLIAM  DODGE, 


The  fourteenth  of  October  arrived,  and  a  more  beautiful  day  never  broke  upon  the 
earth.  A  brilliant  sun,  a  sky  veiled  but  not  clouded,  and  a  breezy  atmosphere  were  in 
harmony  with  the  occasion,  and  with  the  joyousness  of  the  multitudinous  population 
crowded  into  the  city  from  all  surrounding  regions,  to  witness  and  share  in  the  grand 
jubilee. 

At  sun-rise  one  hundred  guns  were  fired,  the  bells  of  all  the  churches  and  public 
places  were  rung,  and  in  less  than  an  hour  the  streets  were  alive  with  moving  masses. 

The  first  ceremony  of  the  morning,  was  the  presentation  at  the  Mayor's  office,  at  9 
o'clock,  in  accordance  with  the  recommendation  of  the  Committee,  of  a  Banner  to  the  Fire 
Department.  This  ceremony  passed  off  as  follows : 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT.  261 

PRESENTATION   OF    THE    BANNER   TO   THE   NEW-YORK    FIRE    DEPART- 
MENT. 

Mayor's  Office,  New  York  City,  9i  o'clock  A.  M.,  ) 
Ikth  October,  1842.  \ 

Present — His  Honor,  Robert  H.  Morris,  Mayor  ;  Adam  Pentz,  Esq.,  President  of  the  Fire 
Department ;  the  Trustees  of  the  Fire  Department  Fund ;  several  of  the  Grand 
Marshals  of  the  day,  with  their  Aids  ;  Members  of  the  Common  Council ;  and  the 
gentlemen  composing  the  late  Joint  Committee  on  Fire  and  Water. 

Cor.  B.  Timpson,  Chairman  of  late  Joint  Committee  on  Fire  and  Water,  said, — 
Mr.  MAYOR — Want  of  time  compels  me  to  be  brief,  and  to  exclude  some  remarks  I 
had  intended  to  make  on  this  occasion.  I  hold  in  my  hand  a  resolution  which  was  pre- 
sented to  the  Common  Council  by  Thomas  R.  Lee,  Esq.  late  Assistant  Alderman  of  the 
8th  Ward,  and  unanimously  adopted  by  both  branches  of  the  City  Government,  and  ap- 
proved by  His  Honor,  the  Mayor.  It  is  as  follows  : 

"  Resolved,  That  a  suitable  banner  be  provided  at  the  expense  of  the  City,  under  the 
direction  of  the  present  members  of  the  Joint  Committee  of  Fire  and  Water,  and  that  the 
same  be  presented  to  the  Fire  Department,  by  his  Honor,  the  Mayor,  on  the  occasion  of 
the  celebration  of  the  introduction  of  the  Croton  Water  into  this  city." 
Adopted  by  the  Board  of  Assistant  Aldermen,  May  2,  1842. 

"  "  "          Aldermen,  "     9,     " 

Approved  by  the  Mayor,  "    14,     " 

SAMUEL  J.  WILLIS,  Clerk  of  the  Common  Council. 

At  the  time  this  resolution  was  offered,  it  was  supposed  that  the  celebration 
of  the  introduction  of  the  water  of  the  Croton  into  this  city  would  take  place  on 
the  approaching  4th  of  July,  the  day  we  celebrate  as  that  on  which  our  glorious 
national  independence  was  declared,  and  the  committee  to  whom  it  was  intrusted, 
consisting  of  Abraham  Hatfield,  Morris  Franklin,  Daniel  Ward,  Daniel  D.  Briggs,  Wm. 
Adams,  and  myself,  were  prepared  on  that  day  to  comply  with  its  requirements,  but 
unavoidable  circumstances  caused  delay  until  the  present  time  ;  and  now,  sir,  in  relin- 
quishing our  trust,  permit  me  to  say  that  this  splendid  banner  was  designed  and  executed 
by  Allan  Smith  Junr.,  Esq.,  of  this  city.  The  front  represents  the  Fire  Department  as 
having  achieved  a  victory  over  the  devouring  element,  receiving  the  blessings  and  thanks 
of  the  widow  and  her  orphans  for  the  protection  and  benefits  derived  from  it — beautiful 
emblems  of  power  and  beneficence — helplessness  and  gratitude.  They  are  attended  by 
a  hero  of  the  flames.  Erect,  above  all,  stands  old  father  Neptune,  evidently  delighted  with 
the  victory  he  has  accomplished  over  his  ancient  enemy,  the  Demon  of  Fire,  by  the  aid  of 
66 


262  CELEBRATION     OF    THE 

his  skillful  and  intrepid  allies — the  Firemen  of  New  York.  On  the  other  side  of  the  ban- 
ner the  Queen  of  Cities,  represented  by  a  female  wearing  a  crown,  is  calling  attention  to  a 
picture,  a  view  of  the  dam  on  the  Croton  River — the  origin  of  the  aqueduct.  On  the  lower 
part  of  the  border  surrounding  the  picture,  are  emblazoned  the  arms  of  the  city  of  New- 
York  in  basso  relievo.  The  silk  on  which  the  design  is  portrayed,  measures  nine  and  a 
half  feet  by  seven  and  a  half  feet.  Its  color  is  a  rich  mazarine  blue — the  fringe,  tassels, 
and  cord,  are  amber  and  crimson.  The  banner  is  surmounted  and  greatly  adorned  by 
three  separate  groups  of  carving — the  centre  consisting  of  a  fireman's  cap  as  a  base,  with  a 
trumpet  affixed  to  the  top,  on  which  stands  a  large  eagle  with  extended  wings,  measuring 
three  and  a  half  feet  from  tip  to  tip.  At  each  end  are  trophies,  composed  of  Hook  and  Lad- 
der, Torch,  Trumpet,  Pipe  and  Axes. 

His  Honor,  the  Mayor,  then  rose  and  made  the  following  speech  : 
Mr.  President  and  Trustees  of  the  Fire  Department, — 

"  I  have  been  deputed,  by  a  resolution  which  has  just  been  read  to  you,  to  present  on 
the  part  of  the  Common  Council,  to  the  Department  of  which  you  are  officers,  this  Banner, 
as  a  testimonial  of  their  high  approbation  of  the  services  rendered  by  the  Fire  Department, 
and  as  evidence  of  their  esteem  and  regard  for  the  members  composing  that  department. 
The  Fire  Department  was  organised  on  the  20th  day  of  March,  1798,  from  which  period, 
to  the  present  time,  by  its  constant  vigilance  and  unceasing  and  disinterested  efforts,  the 
property  of  our  citizens  has  been  protected.  Blended  with  the  important  services  you 
have  thus  rendered,  you  have  also  performed  the  important  functions  of  a  charitable  in- 
stitution, having  for  its  object  the  relief  of  the  widows  and  orphans  of  your  deceased  asso- 
ciates ;  the  benefits  thus  conferred  by  the  department  have  been  as  extensive,  as  their  in- 
tentions were  praiseworthy.  This  occasion,  the  celebration  of  the  arrival  of  the  Croton 
water  in  our  city,  is  happily  selected  for  the  presentation  of  this  banner,  as  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  among  the  many  important  benefits  to  result  from  that  work,  not  the  least  will  be  to 
relieve  your  department  of  a  great  proportion  of  its  dangerous  and  arduous  duties.  The 
emblems  upon  this  standard  are  indicative  of  the  foresight  and  energy  of  our  citizens,  and 
of  the  services  and  humanity  of  the  Fire  Department.  On  one  side  stands  the,  Q,ueen  of 
Cities,  representing  the  scientific  enterprise  of  our  citizens,  and  pointing  to  the  Croton  Dam 
and  Aqueduct,  which  leads  the  waters  of  a  distant  river  to  our  city,  for  our  protection  and 
comfort.  On  the  other  side  is  Neptune,  the  god  of  the  ocean,  showing  that  these  waters 
have  arrived  among  us.  Their  effect  is  exhibited  by  the  figure  of  Victory,  which  stands 
upon  the  prostrate  Demon  of  Fire,  while  the  widow  and  the  orphan  children,  with  their 
friend,  the  fireman,  show  the  consummation  of  the  work,  and  that  the  charity  of  your  depart- 
ment is  all  that  will  now  be  required  of  you.  Acccept,  sir,  this  Banner,  and  present  it  to 
your  associates  as  a  token  of  our  regard,  and  an  emblem  of  the  services  they  have  rendered." 


CROTON    ACIUEDUCT.  26S 

The  Mayor  was  replied  to  by  Adam  Pentz,  President  of  the  Fire  Department,  as 

follows  : 

"  In  behalf  of  the  Fire  Department,  I  thank  you  cordially  for  the  presentation  of  this 
elegant  token  of  the  approbation  and  kind  feeling  of  the  Common  Council,  and  for  the 
handsome  and  complimentary  terms  in  which  you  have  been  pleased  to  convey  it.  I  am 
sensible  that  no  language  of  mine,  could  give  any  thing  like  an  adequate  expression  of  the 
gratification  experienced  by  the  Department  upon  this  occasion.  That  gratification  is  not 
diminished,  but  enhanced,  by  the  reflection,  that  no  extensive  conflagration,  recently  sub- 
dued by  the  energy  and  activity  of  the  Department,  has  awakened  in  a  generous  community 
a  disposition  to  thus  express  its  approbation ;  but  that  those  into  whose  hands  the  people 
have  entrusted  the  guardianship  of  these  interests,  regarding  our  institution  as  a  most  ef- 
ficient agent  of  public  good,  and  not  unmindful  of  the  services  and  sacrifices  to  which  its 
members  are  subjected,  have  in  this  public  manner  marked  their  appreciation  of  the  past, 
while  at  the  same  time  they  have  held  out  a  stimulus  to  the  future.  The  occasion  upon 
which  we  are  assembled,  commemorating  the  completion  of  one  of  the  most  stupendous 
public  works  of  the  Union  or  of  the  age,  furnishing  so  rational  a  cause  for  rejoicing,  is  wel- 
comed by  no  portion  of  your  fellow  citizens  with  more  sincere  pleasure,  than  by  that  por- 
tion which  I  have  the  honor  to  represent.  While  some  have  looked  merely  to  the  intro- 
duction of  pure  and  wholesome  water  into  the  city  as  being  an  indispensible  requisite  of 
public  health,  and  others,  regarding  the  distance  from  which  it  has  been  brought,  and  the 
obstacles  overcome,  as  constituting  an  enduring  monument  of  the  enterprise  and  public 
spirit  of  our  citizens,  the  firemen  of  the  city,  while  participating  in  the  feelings  of  both  these 
classes,  yet  with  that  devotion  to  their  duties  by  which  they  have  ever  been  distinguished, 
rejoice  chiefly,  because  this  great  work,  in  giving  increased  efficacy  to  their  exertions,  af- 
fords additional  security  to  the  property  of  their  fellow  citizens.  It  is  perhaps  not  too 
much  to  say,  that  nearly  all  the  great  fires  by  which  large  portions  of  our  city  have  been 
.  devastated,  might  have  been  early  arrested,  had  the  department  possessed  the  same  facilities 
for  obtaining  an  abundant  supply  of  water,  as  that  which  they  will  now  enjoy  from  the 
introduction  of  the  Croton.  In  view  of  these  facilities,  and  animated  by  this  expression 
on  the  part  of  the  city  government,  the  members  of  the  department  will  continue  to  dis- 
charge their  duties  with  increased  zeal,  and  cherish  the  recollection  of  this  day,  as  among 
the  brightest  in  the  history  of  their  institution." 

The  various  Military  Corps  assembling  at  their  respective  parade  grounds,  were  by 
eight  o'clock,  in  march  for  the  Battery,  which  scarcely  furnished  space  for  them  all.  After 
undergoing  inspection,  at  10  o'clock  precisely,  the  procession  moved  in  the  order  and 
route  indicated  by  the  annexed  programme,  previously  published. 


264  CELEBRAION    OF    THE 


PROGRAMME  OF  ARRANGEMENTS. 

The  Line  will  be  formed  at  9  o'clock  A.  M.  precisely,  6  abreast,  the  right  resting  on 
the  Battery.     The  column  will  move  at  10  o'clock,  in  the  following  order,  viz : 

Escort  of  Cavalry  from  General  Storms'  Brigade. 

THE  GRAND  MARSHAL, 

General  Gilbert  Hopkins,  accompanied  by  his  Special  Aidsr 
General  Prosper  M.  Wetmore,  General  Nathan  B.  Graham, 

Colonel  Florence  Mahoney,  Colonel  Henry  P.  Robertson, 

Colonel  William  W.  Tompkins,  Captain  James  Wardell. 

Military  Guard  of  honor  to  the  Grand  Marshall — comprising — 
The  Independence  Guards, 
The  Sing  Sing  Guards,  and 
The  Washington  Riflemen. 

FIRST  DIVISION, 

Comprising  the  Artillery  and  other  Military  bodies,  commanded  by  Major  General 

Charles  W.  Sanford. 

SECOND  DIVISION, 

Under  the  direction  of  Major  General  Stryker,  Assisted  by  Mr.  O.  W.  F.  Randolph, 
Aid  to  the  Grand  Marshal — comprising 

Commissioners  of  Croton  Aqueduct  Board. 

1.  Water  Commissioners  and  Ex- water  Commissioners. 

2.  Members  of  the  Society  of  Cincinnati. 

3.  Mayors  of  New  York,  Brooklyn,  Albany,  Troy,  Jersey  City,  and  Newark,  in 
carriages. 

Second  Regiment  N.  Y.  State  Artillery,  as  an  escort  to  the  Common  Council, 

4.  Committee  of  Arrangements  of  the  Common  Council,  with  staves  of  office, 

5.  Members  of  the  Common  Council,  with  staves  of  office. 

6.  Ex-Members  of  the  Common  Council. 

7.  Governor  and  Lieutenant  Governor  and  Suite — (mounted.) 

8.  Members  of  Congress  and  State  Legislature. 

9.  Common  Council  of  Brooklyn. 

10.  Trustees  of  Williamsburg. 

11,  Common  Council  of  Albany. 


CROTON    AQUEDUCT.  265 

12.  Common  Council  of  Troy. 

13.  do  do          Jersey  City,   Newark,  Elizabethtown,  New  Brunswick, 
Princeton,  and  Trenton. 

14.  Officers  of  the  Corporation. 

15.  County  Officers. 

16.  Enginers  and  Officers  of  the  Water  Works. 

17.  Foreign  Consuls. 

THIRD  DIVISION, 

Under  the  direction  of  Gen.  Wm.  L.  Morris,  assisted  by  Mr.  Andrew  H.  Mickle,  aid 
to  the  Grand  Marshal. 

1.  Officers  of  the  Army  and  Navy. 

2.  Militia  Officers  oif  duty. 

3.  Naval  School. 

4.  Reverend  the  Clergy. 

5.  Judges  and  Officers  of  the  Courts. 

6.  Members  of  the  Bar. 

7.  Professors  and  Students  of  the  University. 

8.  New  York  Lyceum. 

9.  Society  of  Letters. 

10.  Chamber  of  Commerce. 

11.  Board  of  Trade. 

12.  Historical,  Philosophical,  Philological,  and  other  Scientific  Societies. 

13.  Members  of  the  various  Societies  for  the  Promotion  of  the  Fine  Arts. 


Under  the  direction  of  Brig.  Gen.  Pentz,  assisted  by  Mr.  John  T.  Dodge,  and  Mr. 
George  C.  Ring,  aids  to  the  Grand  Marshal,  comprising 
The  Officers  and  Members  of  the  Fire  Department. 

FIFTH  DIVISION, 

Under  the  direction  of  Colonel  Philbrick,  assisted  by  Mr.  James  Nesbitt,  aids  to  the 
Grand  Marshal.     Comprising 

1.  Masonic  Fraternity. 

2.  Contractors  and  Workmen  of  the  Water  Works. 

3.  Typographical  Society  and  Printers. 

4.  North  River  Navy :  a  car  drawn  by  4  horses,  representing  the  Miller  and  his  men. 
67 


CELEBRATION    OF    THE 

A  car  drawn  by  4  horses,  with  model  of  steamboat  North  America. 

Phenix  Foundry. 

North  River  steamboat  Captains,  in  2  barouches. 

SIXTH  DIVISION, 

Under  the  direction  of  Capt.  Wm.  H.  Cornell,  assisted  by  Mr.  George  G.  Hopkins, 
aids  to  the  Grand  Marshal.     Comprising 

The  Butchers  of  the  cities  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn. 

SEVENTH  DIVISION, 

Under  the  direction  of  Mr.  John  Ridley,  assisted  by  Mr.  Silas  S.  Howell,  aids  to  the 
Grand  Marshal.     Comprising 

1.  Gold  and  Silver  Artisans. 

2.  Mercantile  Library  Association. 

3.  Marine  Society. 

4.  Pilots'  Society. 

5.  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen. 

6.  Mechanics'  Society  School. 

7.  Delegates  of  the  United  States  Home  League. 

8.  American  Institute. 

9.  Mechanics'  Institute. 

10.  School  of  the  Mechanics'  Institute. 

11.  Officers  of  the  United  States  Government. 

12.  Pupils  of  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  Institution. 

EIGHTH  DIVISION, 

Under  the  direction  of  Surgeon  Gen.  Pennell,  assisted  by  Col.  Robt.  C.  Morris,  aids 
to  the  Grand  Marshal. 

1.  St.  Nicholas  Society. 

2.  St.  George's  Society. 

3.  Friendly  Sons  of  St.  Patrick. 

4.  Officers  of  the  Irish  Emigrant  Society. 

5.  Hibernian  Universal  Benevolent  Society. 

6.  Hibernian  Benevolent  Burial  Society. 

7.  Shamrock  Benevolent  Society. 

8.  Sons  of  Herman. 

9.  German  Washington  Benevolent  Society. 


CROTON    AdUEDUCT. 


267 


10.  Socrates  Union  Society. 

11.  Italian  Universal  Benevolent  Society. 

12.  St.  David's  Society. 

NINTH  DIVISION. 

Under  the  direction  of  Col.  A.  G.  Crasto,  assisted  by  Col.  Benj.  W.  Benson  and  Mr. 
Graham,  aids  to  the  Grand  Marshal,  comprising  the  Temperance  Societies  en  masse. 

TENTH  DIVISION. 

Under  the  direction  of  Major  G.  H.  Striker,  assisted  by  Capt.  Mason  Thompson,  aids 
to  the  Grand  Marshal,  comprising 

1.  Rockland  Lake  Association. 

2.  Citizens. 

3.  Strangers. 

The  several  public  bodies  and  Associations  are  requested  to  assemble  in  season  to 
carry  out  the  following 

PROGRAMME. 

The  following  are  the  places  designated  by  the   Committee  of  the  Common  Council 
for  the  reception  of  the  various  invited  guests  : 

1.  Sacred  Music  Society,  Vice  Chancellor's  Court  Room. 

2.  Common  Council  and  Mayors  of  New  York,  Brooklyn,  Albany,   Troy,  Jersey 
City,  Newark,  Elizabeth  town,  New  Brunswick,  Princeton,   Trenton,  and  Trustees  of 
Williamsburg,  No.  8  City  Hall. 

3.  Governor  and  Staff,  Heads  of  Departments,  members  of  Congress  and  State  Legis- 
lature, and  State  Society  of  the  Order  of  Cincinnati,  No.  4  City  Hall. 

4.  Ex-Mayors  and  members  of  the  Common  Council  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn, 
Chamber  of  the  Judges  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas. 

5.  Foreign  Ministers  and  Consuls,  officers  of  Army  and  Navy,  Mayor's  Office. 

6.  Judges  of  the  Courts  and  Members  of  the  Bar,  Court  Common  Pleas  Room. 

7.  Militia  Officers  off  duty,  Circuit  Court  Room. 

The  Divisions  enumerated  in  the  programme  will  assemble  as  follows  : 
1st  Division  on  the  Battery. 
2d       do  City  Hall. 

3d      do  City  Hall  and  Park  rear  City  Hall. 

4th      do  Broadway,  right  on  Battery  place. 

5th     do  Chambers  street,  right  on  Broadway,  west. 

6th     do  Broome  street,  right  on  Broadway,  west. 


268  CELEBRATION    OF    THE 

7th  Division  on  Warren  street,  right  on  Broadway. 

8th  do  Greenwich,  right  on  Warren  street. 

9th  do  West  Broadway,  right  on  Canal  street. 

10th  do  Park  Place. 

The  line  of  march  will  be  taken  up  precisely  at  10  o'clock,  A.  M.,  and  will  be  as  fol- 
lows : — The  right  of  the  procession  will  move  from  the  Battery,  thence  up  State  street, 
around  the  Bowling  Green  and  up  Broadway  to  Union  Park,  around  the  Park  and  down 
the  Bowery  to  Grand  street,  through  Grand  street  to  East  Broadway,  down  East  Broad- 
way and  Chatham  street  to  the  Park. 

Should  the  weather  not  prove  propitious  on  the  14th  instant,  the  celebration  will  be 
postponed,  on  which  a  white  flag  will  be  displayed  at  City  Hall,  Niblo's,  and  Bowery 
Theatres,  at  7  o'clock,  A.M. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  head  of  the  column  at  the  Park,  and  also  upon  circling  the  pub- 
lic ground  at  Union  Place,  the  beautiful  Fountains  recently  constructed  will  be  opened 
with  the  display  of  the  Croton  water. 

On  reaching  the  Park  at  the  close  of  the  march,  the  several  bodies  will  pass  the  front 
of  the  City  Hall  in  the  following  order : — 

The  Military  and  the  Sixth  Division  will  pass  into  Broadway,  and  be  under  the  direc- 
tion of  their  respective  Commandants.  The  Fourth  Division  will  form  on  the  sidewalks 
outside  of  the  Park.  The  Ninth  Division  will  pass  for  dismissal  to  the  rear  of  the  City 
Hall.  The  remaining  Divisions  will  be  dismissed  in  the  Park  front  of  the  City  Hall. 

The  several  societies  and  guests  previous  to  dismissal  will  witness  the  ceremonies  in 
front  of  the  City  Hall,  as  follows  : 

An  address"  by  Samuel  Stevens,  Esq.,  President  of  the  Board  of  State  Water  Com- 
missioners, upon  delivering  the  custody  of  the  Croton  Water  Works  to  the  Water  Com- 
missioners of  the  Corporation.  A  reply  from  John  L.  Lawrence,  Esq.,  President  of  the 
Croton  Aqueduct  Board. 

An  Ode,  written  by  Gen.  George  P.  Morris,  Esq.,  will  be  sung  by  the  New  York  Sa- 
cred Music  Society. 

The  ceremonies  will  be  closed  by  nine  cheers  from  the  citizens  and  others  upon  a  sig- 
nal from  the  Grand  Marshal,  and  the  whole  be  dismissed. 

All  Societies  and  Military  Corps  who  have  not  reported  to  the  Committee  of  Arrange- 
ments, will  report  to  the  Grand  Marshall  at  the  Mayor's  Office,  on  or  before  9  o'clock, 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT.  269 

A.  M.,  on  the  day  of  the  procession.     The  Aids  to  the  Grand  Marshal  will  assemble  at 
the  Mayor's  Office,  this  day,  at  4  o'clock,  P.  M.,  when  they  will  receive  their  badges. 
By  order  of  the  Joint  Committee  of  Arrangements  of  the  Common  Council. 

HENRY  E.  DAVIES, 
EDWARD  D.  WEST, 
CHARLES  W.  SMITH, 
FREDERICK  R.  LEE, 
CLARKSON  CROLIUS,  Jr. 

Committee  of  Board  of  Aldermen. 


GEORGE  F.  NESBITT, 
WILLIAM  DODGE, 
DANIEL  WARD, 
CHARLES  J.  DODGE, 
October  13th,  1842.  RICHARD  H.   ATWELL, 

Committee  of  Board  of  Assistants. 

GILBERT  HOPKINS,  Grand  Marshal 

The  details  of  this  most  numerous  and  imposing  procession  ever  seen  in  any  Amer- 
ican city,  cannot  be  given  without  more  space  than  we  have  at  command.  The  grand 
Canal  celebration  in  its  aquatic  display,  exhibited  a  feature  wanting  in  this — but  in  re- 
spect of  numbers  present  in  the  procession,  and  in  the  thronged  streets  as  spectators,  this 
exceded  that,  as  indeed  it  could  hardly  fail  to  do,  taking  into  consideration  the  vast  in- 
crease in  the  population  of  the  city  since  1825,  the  period  of  the  Canal  fete. 

"  There  was,  says  the  New  York  Express,  a  multitude  present  whom  no  man  could 
number,  and  the  devices  presented  an  almost  endless  variety.  We  could  neither  number 
the  one  nor  the  other.  The  procession  was  two  hours  and  ten  minutes  in  passing  the  Ex- 
press Office  on  Broadway.  The  ranks  were  from  two  to  ten  deep.  Every  rank,  every 
age,  and  every  profession  were  represented.  We  saw  all  of  the  seventy  ways  of 
living,  and  at  least  six  of  the  seven  ages  of  man  ;  and  the  first,  the  infant  in  its  mother's 
arms,  at  least  in  the  crowd  and  lookers  on.  Every  nation,  too,  that  holds  communion 
or  commerce  with  our  own,  was  there.  There  was  the  man  of  war  and  the  man  of  peace 
— the  soldier  and  the  sailor — the  master  and  the  apprentice — the  father  and  the  son — the 
man  of  words  and  the  man  of  deeds — the  mace  and  the  axe — the  plough  and  the  sword — 
the  cannon  and  the  bible — the  music  of  the  harp  of  ten  strings,  and  the  hoarse  notes  of  the 
martial  band.  The  church  bells  mingled  their  merriest  peals,  the  cannon  spoke  at  morn- 
ing, noon,  and  night,  in  their  most  vociferous  tones  of  power.  There  were  flying  artillery 
68 


270  CELEBRATION    OP    THE 

and  artillery  on  foot,  infantry  and  calvary,  riflemen  and  marines,  and  soldiers  of  every 
rank  and  every  service.  The  Scotch  Highlanders,  with  the  tartan  and  the  plume,  pre- 
sented a  beautiful  and  soldierlike  appearance.  So  did  the  heavy  compact  band  of  Ger- 
mans, who  are  capable  of  doing-  good  service,  we  warrant,  whenever  they  are  summoned 
to  the  field.  The  city  companies  never  appeared  better,  and  the  troops  from  the  neigh- 
boring towns,  added  not  a  little  to  the  splendid  military  pageant. 

The  Firemen  presented  an  immense  concourse  of  persons.  The  fifty  companies  of 
the  city  were  all  in  the  ranks,  with  guests  from  Philadelphia,  New  Jersey,  Connecticut, 
Long  Island,  and  from  other  quarters  we  believe. 

The  Butchers  were  as  numerous  and  respectable  a  body  of  men  as  could  be  picked 
from  the  city  or  any  where  else,  and  they  were  numeous  enough  now  to  slay  a  million  of 
hecatombs  of  cattle,  or  to  provide  flesh  for  ten  legions  of  the  most  carniverous  of  the  hu- 
man family. 

The  Temperance  men,  boys  and  women,  for  women  were  present,  and  many  of  them 
there  were,  presented  a  grand  appearance,  and  added  many  a  rood  to  the  miles  which 
made  up  the  length  of  the  whole  procession.  But  we  can  hardly  particularize  any  one 
class  where  all  appeared  so  well." 

With  every  effort  to  obtain  an  accurate  account  of  the  different  corps;  associations, 
and  crafts,  in  the  procession,  of  their  numbers,  banners,  and  devices,  we  have  been  unable 
to  procure  all.  We  present  however,  the  general  result  as  follows,  first  taking  occasion 
to  express  our  special  acknowledgments  to  Mr.  C.  V.  Anderson,  Chief  Engineer  of  the 
Fire  Department,  for  the  detailed  statement  furnished  by  him  of  the  magnificent  display 
made  on  the  occasion,  by  the  Firemen,  both  of  other  cities  and  our  own.  The  procession 
was  thus  constituted  :— 

Escort  of  Cavalry  from  General  Storms'  Brigade. 

The  Grand  Marshal, 

General  Gilbert  Hopkins,  accompanied  by  his  Aids, 
General  Prosper  W.  Wetmore,  Colonel  Henry  P.  Robertson, 

General  Nathan  B.  Graham,  Colonel  William  W.  Tompkins, 

Colonel  Florence  Mahoney,  Colonel  John  D.  Van  Buren. 

Military  Guard  of  Honor  to  the  Grand  Marshal,  comprising : 

The  Independence  Guards, 

The  Sing  Sing  Guards,  and 

The  Washington  Rifle  Company. 


CROTON    AdUEDUCT.  271 


FIRST  DIVISION. 

Commanded  by  Major  General  C.  W.  Sandford. 
General  Sandford  and  Staff,  mounted. 

First  troop  National  Gaards. 
Troop  of  Washington  Guards. 

Staff  Officers,  mounted. 

First  Brigade  of  New  York  State  Horse  Artillery. 
Under  command  of  Colonel  Storms. 
Brigadier  General  Morris  and  Staff. 

Brass  Band. 

The  llth  Regiment  of  N.  Y.  State  Artillery,  with  their  ordnance. 

Company  of  Light  Artillery. 

Montgomery  Light  Guard. 

Benson  Cadets. 

Band  of  Music. 

The  Highland  Guard,  under  command  of  Captain  Greig. 

Brass  Band. 
National  Grays. 

Flank  Company  of  the  222d  Regiment. 
Battalion  President's  Guards. 

Brass  Band. 
The  Light  Guard. 

Band  of  Music. 
The  German  Battalion,  consisting  of  the  Jefferson  Grenadiers,  Jefferson  Guard,  and 

Jefferson  Rifle  Corps. 

Colonel  Hall's  command.     Troop  of  Horse  Artillery. 

Third  Regiment  Washington  Greys,  preceded  by  a  band. 

The  Ninth  Regiment  National  Cadets,  preceded  by  a  band. 

SECOND  DIVISION. 

Under  the  direction  of  Major  General  Stryker,  assisted  by  Mr.  O.  W.  F.  Randolph, 
Aids  to  the  Grand  Marshal,  comprising : 

Commissioners  of  the  Croton  Aqueduct  Board,  Water  Commissioners,  and  ex- Water 

Commissioners,  in  barouches. 
Members  of  the  Society  of  Cincinnati,  in  barouches. 


272  CELEBRATION    OF    THE 

Mayors  of  New  York,  Brooklyn,  Albany,  Troy,  Jersey  City,  Newark  Elizabethtown,  New 
Brunswick,  Princeton,  and  Trenton,  in  carriages — band  of  music. 

Second  Regiment  New  York  State  Artillery,  as  an  escort  to  the  Common  Council,  consist- 
ing of  the  Governor's  Guard,  State  Fencibles,  and  New  York  Cadets. 

Band. 

Committee  of  Arrangements  of  the  Common  Council,  with  staves  of  office. 
Member  of  the  Common  Council  with  staves  of  office. 

Ex-Members  of  the  Common  Council. 
Governor  and  Lieutenant-Governor  and  Suite,  in  barouches. 

Members  of  Congress  and  State  Legislature. 

Common  Council  of  Brooklyn,  with  staves  of  office. 

Trustees  of  Williamsburgh, 

Common  Council  of  Albany. 

Common  Council  of  Troy. 

Common  Council  of  Jersey  City,  Newark  Elizabethtown,  New  Brunswick,  Princeton, 

and  Trenton. 

Officers  of  the  Corporation. 

County  Officers. 

Engineers  and  Officers  of  the  Water  Works. 
Foreign  Consuls,  in  barouches. 

The  second  division  embraced  a  body  of  our  most  aged  and  distinguished  civilians. 
Some  were  on  foot,  some  on  horseback,  and  some  in  carriages.  The  authorities  were  on 
foot,  and  with  their  staves  of  office  but  seldom  seen,  and  seemed  to  embody  in  their  per- 
sons the  authority  and  trust  which  the  people  have  committed  to  their  hands. 

THIRD  DIVISION. 

Under  the  direction  of  Gen.  Wm.  L.  Morris,  assisted  by  Capt.  Andrew  H.  Mickle,  Aids 

to  the  Grand  Marshal. 

Officers  of  the  Army  and  Navy. 

Militia  Officers  off  duty. 

Naval  School. 

Reverend  the  Clergy. 

Judges  and  Officers  of  the  Courts. 

Members  of  the  Bar. 

Professors  and  Students  of  Columbia  College,  and  the  University. 
New  York  Lyceum. 
Society  of  Letters. 


CROTON    AQUEDUCT.  273 

Chamber  of  Commerce. 

Board  of  Trade. 

Historical,  Philosophical,  Philological  and  other  Scientific  Societies. 

Members  of  the  various  Societies  for  the  Promotion  of  the  Fine  Arts. 

A  Life  Boat,  built  by  C.  S.  Ingersoll. 

Band  of  Music. 
Company  of  City  Guards. 

Battalion  of  Washington  Guards,  Montgomery  Guards,  and  Franklin  Blues,  preceded  by 

Music. 

Pilots'  Society,  with  banner  and  band  of  music. 

FOURTH  DIVISION, 

Under  the  direction  of  Brigadier  General  Pentz,  assisted  by  Mr.  John  T.  Dodge  and 
Mr.  George  C.  Ring,  Aids  to  the  Grand  Marshal,  comprising  the  Officers  and  Members  ol 
the  Fire  Department. 

Order  of  the  Fire  Department  Procession,  on  the  occasion  of  the  Croton  Celebration, 

October  Uth,  1842. 

At  the  head  of  the  procession  was  a  Band  of  Music,  brought  from  Philadelphia,  by 
the  Neptune  Hose  Company  of  that  city.  Immediately  after  the  Music,  came  the 

Fairmount  Engine  Company,  of  Philadelphia,  numbering  37  men,  dressed  in  the 
uniform  of  the  Philadelphia  Firemen,  viz :  glazed  hats,  with  the  name  of  the  Company 
painted  upon  them,  drab  fire  coats  and  pants,  and  oil  cloth  capes  over  the  shoul- 
ders, also  bearing  the  name  of  the  Company.  The  Engine  drawn  by  the  Company  was 
splendidly  painted  and  mounted.  This  Company  was  followed  by 

Neptune  Hose  Company,  of  Philadelphia,  numbering  56  men,  in  black  fire  dress, 
also,  with  glazed  hats  and  capes,  drawing  a  splendid  four-wheeled  hose  carriage,  silver 
mounted,  and  with  appropaiate  painting  and  designs.  These  two  Companies  arrived  by 
rail  road  from  Philadelphia  on  the  day  previous,  and  were  received  at  the  landing  in  Jer- 
sey City,  by  a  Committee  appointed  by  the  New  York  Fire  Department.  On  their  arri- 
val in  the  city,  they  were  received  by  Engine  Company  No.  14,  and  Hose  Company  No, 
12,  in  full  fire  dress,  and  escorted  to  the  Arsenal  Yard,  where  a  place  had  been  provided 
for  their  apparatus.  The  Companies  then  proceeded  to  Monroe  Hall,  where  they  partook 
of  a  collation,  provided  by  the  Committee  of  reception,  and  were  introduced  to  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Common  Council,  and  were  afterwards  escorted  to  their  quarters.  On  leaving 
69 


274  CELEBRATION    OP    THE 

the  city,  on  the  day  after  the  celebration,  they  were  attended  to  the  rail  road,  by  Engine 
Company  No.  14,  and  Hose  Company  No.  12. 

They  were  followed  in  the  procession  by 

Engine  Company  No.  3,  of  Hudson,  with  their  Engine  drawn  by  32  men,  and  also 
some  members  of  Engine  Company  No.  8,  of  Albany.  This  Company  had  been  received 
and  escorted  by  Engine  Company  No.  20,  of  this  city.  They  were  followed  by 

Engine  Company  No.  1,  of  Poughkeepsie — Engine  painted  black  and  gilt,  drawn  by 
35  men  ;  uniform  fire  caps,  red  shirts,  and  dark  pants.  This  Company  was  received  and 
escorted  by  Engine  Company  No.  34,  of  this  city. 

Next  in  order  came  the  Fire  Department  of  Newark,  New  Jersey,  which  had  been 
invited  by  the  New  York  Fire  Department.  They  arrived  on  the  morning  of  the  proces- 
sion, and  were  escorted  by  Engine  Company  No.  21,  and  Hose  Company  No.  21.  They 
consisted  of  the  following : 

Engineers,  Foremen,  and  Assistants,  bearing  the  Banner  of  the  Newark  Fire  Depart- 
ment. 

Representations  from  the  Hook  and  Ladder  and  Engine  Companies,  dressed  in  full 
fire  dress,  but  without  apparatus.  The  whole  number  from  Newark,  was  about  150 
men. 

Immediately  after  them  came  the  Fire  Department  of  Jersey  City,  which  had 
also  been  invited,  and  were  also  escorted  by  the  same  Companies.  It  consisted  of 

Fire  Engines  No.  1  and  2,  each  drawn  by  about  40  men  in  fire  dress.  They 
were  followed  by 

The  Fire  Department  of  Williamsburg,  represented  by  the  Chief  and  Assistant 
Engineers,  and  Engines  No.  1  and  2,  each  with  about  75  men. 

After  them  came  the  Fire  Department  from  Brooklyn,  also  invited.  This  De- 
partment arrived  on  the  morning  of  the  procession,  and  were  received  at  the  Ferry  and 
escorted  to  the  line,  by  a  delegation  of  the  New  York  Fire  Department,  in  the  fol- 
lowing order :  Hose  Company  No.  8,  Engine  Company  No.  5,  Hose  Company  No.  9, 
Engine  Company  No.  40,  Hose  Company  No.  10,  Engine  Company  No.  8.  The  De- 
partment consisted  of  the  following : 

Banner,  inscribed  with  name,  "Brooklyn  Fire  Department." 

Engineers  and  Exempt  Firemen. 

Fire  Wardens. 

Washington  Engine  Company  No.  1 — Engine  drawn  by  80  men,  dressed  in 
dark  pants,  red  shirts,  and  fatigue  caps — the  Foreman,  Assistant,  Pioneer,  and  men  at  the 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT.  275 

Tongue,  in  full  fire  dress — the  Pioneer  bearing  a  Banner,  repersenting  a  portrait  of  Wash- 
ington.    Another  Banner  was  a  full  length  figure  of  a  Fireman.    Next  came 

Neptune  Engine  Company  No.  2 — Engine  painted  black  and  gold,  drawn  by  74 
men  in  the  same  dress  as  above. 

Eagle  Engine  Company  No.  4,  painted  red,  with  blue  and  gold,  drawn  by  60 
men — same  uniform. 

Constitution  Engine  Company  No.  7 — painted  white  and  blue — drawn  by  125 
men — same  dress  as  above.  Motto,  "  Ready  and  Willing." 

American  Engine  Company  No.  9 — painted  black  and  gilt.  The  back  carved 
with  two  Angels,  with  their  wings  forming  an  arch,  completely  gilded — the  design  on  the 
back,  a  full  length  figure  of  Red  Jacket,  by  Weir — drawn  by  39  men — dressed  in  fire 
caps,  red  shirts,  and  dark  pants. 

Atlantic  Hose  and  Relief  Company — Four-wheeled  hose  carriage,  bearing  1000 
feet  of  hose,  and  25  buckets,  drawn  by  30  men  in  citizen's  dress. 

Clinton  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  No.  2 — Truck,  with  full  set  of  implements, 
drawn  by  56  men,  in  citizen's  dress,  and  oil  cloth  caps. 

Most  of  the  Engines  were  highly  ornamented  with  flowers,  ribbons,  &c. 

General  outlines  of  the  New  York  Fire  Department  Procession,  on  the  occasion  of 
the  Croton    Water  Celebration. —  October  14^,  1842. 

Grand  Marshal— CORNELIUS  V.  ANDERSON. 

Assistant  Marshals, 

W.  Wells  Wilson,  Dewitt  C.  Mott, 

John  B.  Miller,  Samuel  L.  Liscomb, 

George  Kerr,  Samuel  Waddell, 

Alfred  Carson,  George  H.  Ramppen. 

Charles  Forrester,  Zophar  Mills, 

Philip  B.  White,  Joseph  W.  Long, 

Owen  W.  Brennan,  John  T.  Rollins, 
John  Rese. 

The  Grand  and  Assistant  Marshals  were  dressed  in  the  uniform  of  the  Engineers  of 
the  Fire  Department,  viz :— white  fire  cap,  blue  coat  and  pantaloons.  The  line  was  formed 
in  Hudson  street,  and  extended  from  Christopher  to  Reed  streets.  The  Procession  moved 
at  9  A.  M.,  down  Hudson  to  Chambers  street,  to  Broadway  and  to  the  Battery,  in  the  fol- 
lowing order : 

BAND    OF    MUSIC. 


276 


CELEBRATION    OF    THE 


Banner  of  the  New  York  Fire  Department,  borne  on  a  stage,  richly  carpeted  and  fes- 
tooned, and  drawn  by  four  white  horses,  elegantly  caparisoned,  and  each  horse  led  by  a 
black  groom  in  Turkish  dress.  The  Banner  was  supported  by  the  Trustees  of  the  Fire 
Department.  It  was  designed  and  executed  by  Allan  Smith,  Jun.,  of  this  city.  The  front 
represents  the  Fire  Department  as  having  achieved  a  victory  over  the  devouring  element, 
receiving  the  blessings  and  thanks  of  the  widow  and  her  orphans,  for  the  protection  and 
benefits  derived  from  it — beautiful  emblems  of  power  and  beneficence,  helplessness  and 
gratitude.  They  are  attended  by  a  "  Hero  of  the  Flames."  Erect  above  all  stands  Nep- 
tune, evidently  delighted  with  the  victory  he  has  accomplished  over  his  ancient  enemy, 
the  Demon  of  Fire,  by  the  aid  of  his  skilful  and  intrepid  allies — the  firemen  of  New  York. 
On  the  other  side  is  the  Queen  of  Cities,  calling  attention  to  a  picture,  representing  the 
Dam  at  the  Croton  River,  the  origin  of  the  aqueduct.  On  the  lower  part  of  the  border, 
surrounding  the  picture,  are  emblazoned  the  arms  of  the  city  of  New  York,  in  basso 
relievo.  .  The  silk  on  which  the  design  is  portrayed,  measures  9£  feet  by  7£  feet ;  its  color 
is  a  rich  mazarine  blue.  The  fringe,  tassels,  and  cord,  are  crimson  and  amber.  The  ban- 
ner is  surmounted  and  greatly  adorned  by  three  separate  groups  of  carving,  the  centre  con- 
sisting of  a  fireman's  cap,  with  a  trumpet  affixed  to  the  top,  on  which  stands  a  large 
eagle,  with  extended  wings,  measuring  three  and  a  half  feet  from  tip  to  tip — at  each  end 
are  trophies  composed  of  hook  and  ladders,  torch,  trumpet,  pipe  and  axes. 

The  banner  was  presented  to  the  Fire  Department  on  the  morning  of  the  procession, 
by  his  Honor  the  Mayor,  Robert  H.  Morris,  with  an  appropriate  address,  and  was  received 
by  A.  P.  Pentz,  Esq.,  President  of  the  Fire  Department. 

Next  to  the  Banner  came  the  Grand  Marshal  and  two  aids,  followed  by  the  officers  of 
the  Fire  Department  Fund. 

The  Exempt  Firemen  followed,  and  were  succeeded  by 

Hudson  Fire  Engine  Company,  No.  1,  drawn  by  129  members.  Uniform,  fire 
caps,  red  flannel  shirts,  and  dark  pantaloons.  Engine  painted  black,  striped  with  gold ; 
painting  on  the  back,  represents  a  death  struggle  between  a  Greek  arid  Turk,  both  over- 
hanging a  precipice.  Engine  decorated  with  roses,  ribands,  &c.  A  small  engine  was 
borne  by  4  boys.  The  banner  of  the  Company  represented  a  steamboat  on  fire,  the  en- 
gine leaving  the  engine  house,  surmounted  by  a  portrait  of  C.  V.  Anderson,  Chief  Engi- 
neer ;  on  the  other  side,  a  tomb  scene,  with  a  view  of  the  reservoir.  Next  came 

Eagle  Hose  Company,  No.  1,  drawn  by  40  men.  Uniform  same  as  above ;  four 
wheeled  hose  carriage,  painted  black  and  gold.  Banner — on  one  side,  an  eagle  with  a 
fire  in  the  back  ground,  on  the  other,  the  burning  of  the  National  Theatre.  Next  came, 

Mutual  Hook  and  Ladder  Company,  No.  1.     Truck  drawn  by  40  men,  in  citizen's 


CROTON    AQUEDUCT.  277 

dress,  dark  throughout ;  truck  painted  green,  with  black  stripes.  Banner  represents  the 
name  and  number  of  the  Company,  surmounted  by  a  gilt  hook  and  ladder  ;  on  each  side 
are  torches  and  axes ;  above  is  a  Phcenix  rising  from  the  flames,  beneath  is  the  motto  of 
the  Company,  "  Mutual."  Next  came, 

Chatham  Fire  Engine  Company  No.  2.  Engine  painted  red  and  gold,  with  bronze 
pannels  ;  the  painting  on  the  back  is  a  portrait  of  James  Wallack,  as  Rolla.  Engine  drawn 
by  38  men  ;  uniform,  fire  caps,  red  flannel  shirts,  and  dark  pantaloons.  Banner,  represent- 
ing the  burning  of  the  Bowery  Theatre ;  on  the  right  is  a  fireman,  carrying  an  orphan 
child  in  his  arms,  and  leading  another  by  the  hand ;  on  the  left  is  a  representation  of  the 
engine  with  their  hose  attached  to  a  hydrant ;  two  brass  torches  and  brass  signal  lanterns, 
were  borne  by  boys.  Next  in  order  was, 

Niagara  Hose  Company  No.  2.  Two  wheeled  hose  carriage,  painted  red,  drawn 
by  10  men,  dress  as  above.  Next  came, 

Forrest  Engine  Company  No.  3.  Engine  painted  black  and  gold  ;  the  painting  on 
the  back  represents  the  last  scene  in  the  tragedy  of  Metamora.  Drawn  by  32  men,  dress 
same  as  above  ;  the  Banner  borne  by  6  lads  in  uniform  ;  the  front  represents  the  Goddess 
of  Liberty,  fostering  Commerce  and  Trade,  in  the  distance  buildings  on  fire,  and  engines 
at  work.  On  the  back  is  a  view  of  the  burning  of  the  Bowery  Theatre,  the  whole  sur- 
mounted by  the  American  Eagle,  bearing  the  motto,  "  Liberty,  Commerce,  and  Trade." 
Next  came 

Independence  Hose  Company  No.  3.  Two  wheeled  hose  carriage,  painted  black 
and  gold,  drawn  by  40  men,  in  the  same  uniform  as  above.  Followed  by, 

La  Fayette  Hose  Company  No.  4.  Two  wheeled  hose  carriage,  drawn  by  15 
men,  in  the  same  uniform  as  above.  Next  was, 

Protection  Fire  Engine  Company  No.  5.  Engine  painted  black,  with  gilt  stripes, 
carriage  work,  cream  with  red  stripes,  ornamented  with  flowers,  drawn  by  46  men,  uni- 
form as  above.  The  Company  was  preceded  by  a  miniature  engine,  a  fac-simile  of  the 
large  one,  and  borne  by  8  boys.  Followed  by, 

New  York  Hose  Company  No.  5.  Four  wheeled  hose  carriage,  painted  green, 
polished  brass  scrolls  and  mountings ;  a  gilded  arch  sprung,  from  the  top  of  the  reel,  sur- 
mounted by  an  eagle,  from  whose  talons  garlands  of  natural  flowers  were  carried  to  the 
four  extremities  of  the  carriage.  Drawn  by  40  men,  uniform  as  above.  Banner,  borne 
by  a  member  and  supported  by  two  boys  in  fire  dress,  was  of  crimson  silk,  yellow  fringe 
and  tassels  —  represents  a  golden  figure  five,  surrounded  by  a  length  of  hose  —  upon  a 
scroll  above,  is  the  name  of  the  company,  and  beneath  is  the  motto,  "  From  our  vigilance 
70 


278  CELEBRATION    OF    THE 

you  derive  safety."    On  the  other  side  is  a  garland  of  flowers  —  staff  surmounted  by  a 
gilt  fire  cap,  displaying  the  number  of  the  company. 

Neptune  Fire  Engine  Company,  No.  6.     Engine  painted  red,  striped  with  gold  — 
drawn  by  40  men  in  same  uniform  as  above.     Banner  represents  Neptune  drawn  by  sea 
horses. 

Croton  Hose  Company,  No.  6.  Four  wheeled  hose  carriage,  painted  pearl  color, 
with  gilt ;  on  the  front  box  a  view  of  Genesee  Falls,  on  the  back  box  Neptune  and  Am- 
phitrite  ;  drawn  by  25  men  ;  same  uniform.  Large  banner,  representing  the  Croton  aque- 
duct, and  young  Croton  presenting  a  goblet  of  the  water  to  the  Queen  of  Cities,  who  is 
crowning  a  fireman  with  a  wreath.  The  Fire  King  lies  prostrate  and  chained.  Neptune 
stands  quietly  looking  on,  and  Manhattan  is  about  retiring,  as  his  services  are  no  longer 
required.  The  whole  surmounted  by  a  spread  eagle.  Small  banner,  with  the  name  and 
number  of  the  company. 

Wave  Hose  Company,  No.  7.  Two  wheeled  Hose  Carriage,  painted  drab,  drawn 
by  20  men.  Same  uniform  as  before,  preceded  by  a  banner  and  two  American  flags. 

Manhattan  Engine  Company  No.  8.  Engine  painted  drab,  drawn  by  58  men 
same  uniform  as  before.  Engine  dressed  with  flowers. 

BAND    OP    MUSIC. 

First  Ward  Hose  Company,  No.  8.  Four  wheeled  Hose  Carriage,  painted  black 
and  gold ;  carriage  work,  green,  with  black  stripe ;  front  box  representing  the  Bay  of 
New  York,  and  the  Wave  Club  Boat  in  a  race  ;  back  box  representing  the  "  first  ship ;" 
polished  brass  scrolls  and  mountings  ;  carriage  ornamented  with  dahlias  and  evergreens, 
drawn  by  35  men,  same  uniform  as  before.  Banner  of  blue  silk ;  on  the  front,  a  repre- 
sentation of  the  burning  of  Dr.  Eastburn's  church  in  Canal-street,  the  hose  carriage  in 
the  fore  ground ;  on  the  reverse,  a  portrait  of  the  hose  carriage,  and  a  fountain  in  the 
distance  ;  motto,  "  Duty,  though  in  Peril."  Staff,  surmounted  by  a  gilt  fire  cap,  with  the 
number  of  the  Company  ;  banner,  borne  by  a  member  and  supported  by  two  youths  in 
fire  dress. 

Columbian  Hose  Company,  No.  9.  Four  wheeled  Hose  Carriage,  painted  salmon 
color  and  gilt,  decorated  with  flowers  ;  painting  on  front  box  ;  a  female  bearing  a  child  in 
her  arms,  fleeing  from  a  burning  building ;  back  box,  a  view  of  Niagara  Falls  ;  drawn  by 
40  men  ;  dress  as  above. 

Water  Witch  Engine  Company,  No.  10.  Engine  decorated  with  flowers,  drawn  by 
50  men,  dress  as  above.  Banner  represents  a  fire  in  Elizabeth-street,  and  a  fireman  rescuing 
two  females  from  the  flames.  Two  brass  torches,  beautiful  signal  lanterns,  and  two  splen- 
did guide  flags. 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT.  279 

East  River  Hose  Company,  No.  10.  Two  wheeled  Hose  Carriage,  painted  blue, 
red  and  gilt ;  trimmed  with  dahlias  and  other  flowers,  drawn  by  25  men ;  uniform  as 
above. 

Oceanus  Engine  Company,  No.  11.  Painted  dark  blue,  black  and  gold,  the  back 
represents  the  burning  of  Troy  and  death  of  Achilles.  Drawn  by  37  men  in  same  uni- 
form as  before. 

GulickHose  Company,  No.  11.  Two  wheeled  Hose  Carriage,  red  and  gold.  Drawn 
by  18  men  in  same  uniform. 

Knickerbocker  Engine  Company  No.  12.  Engine  painted  green  and  yellow,  striped 
with  gold,  trimmed  with  roses,  design  on  the  back,  Diedrich  Knickerbocker.  Drawn 
by  26  men  in  same  uniform  as  above. 

BAND    OF    MUSIC. 

Washington  Hose  Company  No.  12.  Four  wheeled  Hose  Carriage,  painted  cream 
color  and  gilt — on  front  pannel  a  representation  of  Washington  crossing  the  Delaware — 
on  back  pannel,  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis  at  Yorktown.  Drawn  by  50  men  in  same 
uniform. 

Eagle  Fire  Engine  Company,  No.  13.  Engine  painted  black,  striped  with  gold — 
silver  plated  mountings.  Design  on  back,  a  mother  rescuing  her  child  from  an  eagle's 
nest.  Decorated  with  wreaths  and  boquets  of  dahlias.  Motto,  Nunquam  non  paratus." 
Drawn  by  40  men — same  uniform. 

Express  Hose  Company,  No.  13.  Two  wheeled  Hose  Carriage — red,  striped  with 
blue,  drawn  by  20  men  in  same  uniform.  Banner  borne  by  3  men,  representing  the  Park, 
City  Hall  and  Park  Row,  the  company  stretching  their  hose.  Motto  on  banner,  "  We 
come  to  conquer  and  to  save." 

Columbian  Engine  Company,  No.  14.  Engine  painted  red  and  maroon,  with  gilt. 
Design  on  the  back  represents  an  Indian  maid  parting  from  her  lover.  In  the  distance 
are  seen  several  canoes  approaching,  in  one  of  which  is  the  chief  to  whom  she  has  been 
bethrothed  by  her  father.  Engine  drawn  by  53  men — uniform  as  above. 

Atlantic  Hose  Company,  No.  14.  12  men  in  citizens  dress,  with  badges  and  with- 
out their  carriage. 

Eagle  Hook  and  Ladder  Company,  No.  4.  Truck,  blue  ground  with  yellow  and 
red  stripes.  Full  complement  of  implements.  The  whole  decorated  with  numerous  flags. 
A  centre  pole  with  a  model  of  the  apparatus.  Drawn  by55  men,  with  fire  caps,  red 
shirts  and  dark  pants,  preceded  by  5  boys  bearing  torches,  and  a  carved  figure  of  a  fire- 


280  CELEBRATION    OP    THE 

man.     Banner,  on  front  an  eagle  and  hooks  and  ladders  ;  on  back,  burning  of  the  Mer- 
chants' Exchange,  the  truck  in  the  foreground. 

Victory  Hose  Company,  No.  15.  Two  wheeled  hose  carriage,  dark  green,  striped 
with  gold.  Painting  on  box,  the  tomb  of  a  member  of  the  company.  Drawn  by  29  men 
in  same  uniform  as  above.  Banner  represents  the  tomb  of  a  member  of  the  company  who 
was  killed  by  a  falling  wall.  Two  boys  bearing  brass  torches.  Carriage  ornamented 
with  dahlias  and  surmounted  by  an  American  Flag. 

Chelsea  Fire  Engine  Company,  No.  16.  Engine  red  and  gold,  drawn  by  55men, 
with  velvet  caps,  red  shirts,  and  dark  pants. 

Naiad  Hose  Company,  No.  16.  Two  wheeled  hose  carriage,  black  with  gold  stripes. 
Drawn  by  25  men,  fire  caps,  red  shirts  and  dark  pants.  Banner,  blue  silk,  gilt  letters, 
inscribed,  "Naiad  Hose  Co.  No.  16,  organised  Dec.,  1837."  Trimmed  with  white  fringe. 

Clinton  Hose  Company,  No.  17.  Two  wheeled  Hose  Carriage,  black  and  gold. 
Drawn  by  22  men,  same  uniform  as  above. 

Union  Fire  Engine  Company,  No.  18.  Engine  painted  white  and  red;  drawn  by 
62  men ;  uniform  as  above.  Banner,  representing  a  fire. 

Franklin  Hose  Company,  No.  18.  Two  wheeled  Hose  Carriage ;  scarlet,  blue  and 
gold  ;  decorated  with  flowers.  Drawn  by  20  men — uniform  as  above. 

La  Fayette  Engine  Company,  No.  19.  Engine  red  with  gilt  pannels.  Drawn  by 
26  men  ;  same  uniform  as  above. 

American  Hose  Company,  No.  19.  Two  wheeled  Hose  Carriage ;  red  and  gold. 
Painting  on  Leader  Jacket — the  Goddess  of  Liberty,  in  a  car,  drawn  by  sea-horses. 
Drawn  by  32  men  ;  same  uniform  as  above.  Banner,  burning  of  the  Exchange,  sur- 
mounted by  an  eagle  and  fire  cap. 

Washington  Fire  Engine  Company,  No.  20.  Engine  drawn  by  43  men  in  same 
uniform  as  above.  Large  banner  representing  in  front,  a  figure  of  Washington ;  on  back, 
a  figure  of  La  Fayette.  Small  banner,  the  following  motto : 

"  To  him  ye  nations  yield  eternal  fame, 
First  on  the  heroic  list  enrol  his  name, 
High  on  the  ensculptured  marble  let  him  stand 
The  undaunted  Hero  of  his  native  land."  .^ 

Fulton  Fire  Engine  Company,  No.  21.  Engine  painted  white  with  red  stripes,  or- 
namented with  ribbons  and  flowers.  Drawn  by  37  men,  same  uniform. 

Protection  Hose  Company,  No.  21.    Two  wheeled  carriage,  dark  maroon,  striped 


CROTON    AQUEDUCT.  281 

with  gold,  entire  iron  work  plated  with  brass.  Design  on  the  back,  representing  the  God- 
dess of  Liberty.  On  the  leader  jacket,  painting  of  a  statue  spouting  water.  Drawn  by 
35  men.  Same  uniform  as  before.  Banner  inscribed  with  the  name  and  number  of  the 
Company  and  decorated  with  flowers. 

Protector  Fire  Engine  Company,  No.  22.  Painted  red  and  blue  ;  decorated  with 
dahlias,  artificial  flowers,  etc.  Brass  torches  and  guide  flags,  with  the  name  and  number 
of  the  Engine.  Drawn  by  50  men  in  the  same  uniform  as  above. 

United  States  Fire  Engine  Company  No.  23.  Painted  blue  ;  design  on  the  back, 
the  dying  Greek.  Drawn  by  42  men  ;  uniform  as  above.  Engine  trimmed  with  flowers. 

Triton  Hose  Company,  No.  23.  Two  wheeled  Hose  Carriage,  painted  red  and  gold. 
Drawn  by  16  men  ;  uniform  as  above. 

Jackson  Fire  Engine  Company,  No.  24.  Black  and  gilt.  Design  on  the  back,  a 
painting  of  Gen.  Jackson.  Drawn  by  35  men  ;  uniform  same  as  above. 

Eighth  Ward  Hose  Company,  No.  24.  Two  wheeled  Hose  Carriage,  trimmed  with 
flags  and  dahlias.  Drawn  by  18  men,  two  boys  bearing  torches.  Uniform  as  above. 

Cataract  Engine  Company  No.  25.  Engine  painted  black  and  gilt,  brass  torches, 
signal  lantern,  and  4  small  guide  flags,  all  carried  by  boys.  Engine  drawn  by  53  men, 
same  uniform  as  above. 

Jefferson  Engine  Company  No.  26.  Engine  painted  blue,  with  gilt  stripes,  design 
on  the  back — Thos.  Jefferson  delivering  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  Drawn  by 
35  men ;  uniform  as  above.  Two  boys  bearing  torches. 

Van  Bur  en  Hose  Company  No.  26.  Two  wheeled  hose  carriage,  painted  vermil- 
lion  and  gold;  design  on  the  back,  a  portrait  of  President  Van  Buren;  drawn  by  26  men. 
dressed  in  fire  cap,  dark  coats  and  pantaloons. 

North  River  Engine  Company  No.  27.  Engine  painted  blue,  with  gold  stripes ; 
design  on  the  back,  Othello's  Courtship ;  on  the  side  panels,  Laurence's  Monument,  with 
motto,  "  Dont  give  up  the  Ship,"  drawn  by  60  men ;  uniform  fire  caps,  red  shirts,  and 
dark  pantaloons. 

Third  Ward  Hose  Company  No.  27.  Two  wheeled  hose  carriage,  blue  ground 
with  gilt,  brass  mountings  ;  banner  of  blue  silk,  with  name  and  number  of  the  Company ; 
Carriage  drawn  by  23  men  ;  uniform,  fire  caps,  blue  shirts,  and  dark  pants. 

Union  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  No.  5.     Truck  painted  red  with  gold  stripes. 
Ladders  painted  white  and  blue ;  a  boy  standing  on  the  Truck,  bearing  the  motto,  "  We 
are  pledged  to  abstain  from  all  intoxicating  drinks ;  Banner  representing  a  fire,  and  the 
71 


882  CELEBRAION    OF    THE 

men  in  the  act  of  pushing  in  a  front  wall ;  drawn  by  28  men  ;  uniform  fire  caps,  red 
shirts,  and  dark  pantaloons. 

Guardian  Engine  Company  No.  29.  Engine  painted  blue,  striped  with  scarlet 
and  black,  dressed  with  ribbons  and  wreaths,  drawn  by  44  men,  same  uniform  as 
above. 

Eleventh  Ward  Hose  Company  No.  29.  Two  wheeled  Hose  Carriage,  painted 
black  and  gilt ;  in  the  centre  of  the  carriage  was  placed  a  banner,  bearing  the  name  and 
number  of  the  Company,  an  American  flag  on  each  side,  a  half  circle  erected  on  the  front 
of  the  scrolls,  bearing  a  live  eagle,  having  suspended  from  his  neck,  a  heart,  bearing 
the  number  of  the  Company ;  carriage  decorated  with  ribbons  ;  drawn  by  16  men,  same 
uniform  as  above. 

Hope  Engine  Company  No.  31.  Engine  painted  white,  ornamented  with  gold, 
carved  back,  representing  the  Coat  of  Arms  of  the  State;  painting  on  back,  representing 
Faith  and  Hope ;  iron  work  plated  with  brass  ;  painting  on  each  side  of  leader  jacket. 
Hebe  giving  drink  to  an  eagle ;  Banner  of  blue  silk,  representing  Hope,  and  a  female 
figure  with  the  motto  of  the  Company,  "  We  hope  to  conquer  and  to  save,"  on  the  oppo- 
site side  the  motto,  "  And  the  waters  prevail  ;"  two  boys  bearing  brass  torches,  dressed 
with  ribbons,  on  each  side  of  the  Engine,  and  in  the  centre  of  the  rope,  a  boy  bearing  a 
wreath  of  dahlias  ;  Engine  drawn  by  52  men,  dressed  with  fire  caps,  red  shirts,  dark  pants,, 
and  white  patent  leather  belts.. 

Putnam  Hose  Company  No.  31.  Two  wheeled  Hose  Carriage,  painted  blue-  and 
gilt ;  on  each  side  of  the  carriage  an  American  flag  ;  in  the  centre  a  blue  flag,  with  the 
word  "  Liberty,"  in  gold  letters  ;  drawn  by  20  men,  same  uniform. 

Hunker  Hill  Engine  Company  No.  32.  Engine  painted  red,  striped  with  gold, 
the  number  32  on  the  back,  preceded  by  a  banner,  with  a  representation  of  the  Battle  of 
Bunker  Hill,  and  the  death  of  Warren,  on  one  side — on  the  other,  two  figures,  represent- 
ing Hope  and  Liberty,  resting  against  a  monument,  bearing  the  inscription,  "Brief,  brave, 
and  glorious  was  his  young  career ;"  banner  borne  by  a  Fireman,  with  two  boys  ;  by  the 
side  of  the  Engine,  two  boys,  bearing  torches  and  guide  flags,  Engine  drawn  by  50  men, 
in  same  uniform  as  above. 

Richard  M.  Johnson  Hose  Company  No.  32.  Two  wheeled  Hose  Carriage,  painted 
black,  striped  with  red  and  gold,  drawn  by  21  men,  same  uniform. 

Black  Joke  Engine  Company  No.  33.  Engine  painted  black,  with  gold  stripes, 
drawn  on  a  stage,  richly  carpeted  and  festooned,  by  4  horses,  men  surrounding  the  En- 
gine in  full  fire  dress,  Engine  highly  ornamented  with  ribbons  and  flowers,  preceded  by 
58  men,  in  same  uniform  as  above. 


CROTON    AaUEDUCT.  283 

City  Hose  Company,  No.  33.  Two  wheeled  hose  carriage,  painted  black  and  gold, 
preceded  by  a  banner  presented  by  the  Liberty  fire  company  of  Baltimore ;  the  car- 
riage drawn  by  25  men,  attended  by  a  delegation  of  13  members  of  the  Liberty  fire  com- 
pany of  Baltimore,  in  the  appropriate  dress  of  Baltimore  firemen.  Uniform  of  the  com- 
pany, same  as  above. 

Howard  Engine  Company,  No.  34.  Engine  painted  red  and  gilt.  Design  on  back 
represents  Howard  giving  aid  to  the  sick.  Banner  of  blue  silk,  with  the  following : 
"  Howard  Fire  Engine  Company,  No.  34,  founded  A.  D.  1807."  Engine  drawn  by  85 
men  in  same  uniform  as  above. 

Fifteenth  Ward  Hose  Company,  No,  35.  Two  wheeled  hose  carriage,  painted 
light  blue  ;  drawn  by  19  men  ;  same  uniform. 

Equitable  Engine  Company,  No.  36.  Engine  black  and  claret,  striped  with  gilt. 
Design  on  back  representing  sailors  rescuing  a  mother  and  child  from  the  sea.  Engine 
decorated  with  long  pipe,  eagle,  and  two  American  flags ;  also  dressed  with  ribbons  and 
flowers  —  four  boys  bearing  guide  flags  and  torches  —  drawn  by  54  men ;  same  uniform. 

Glendoveer  Hose  Company,  No.  36.  Two  wheeled  hose  carriage,  painted  cream 
color  with  gilt  stripes  —  decorated  with  wreaths  of  dahlias  —  drawn  by  16  men  ;  same 
uniform  as  above. 

Tradesmen^  Engine  Company,  No.  37.  Engine  painted  green  and  black,  striped 
with  gilt.  Design  on  the  back,  a  female  figure  representing  industry,  with  spinning- 
wheel,  bee  hive,  &c.  —  a  fire  in  the  distance.  Motto,  "  Industry  and  perseverance  over- 
come every  obstacle."  Engine  drawn  by  53  men  :  same  uniform. 

Southwark  Engine  Company,  No.  38.  Large  engine  built  in  Philadelphia,  on  the 
plan  of  engines  used  in  that  city.  Engine  painted  green,  with  bronze  mouldings  — 
mountings  of  Prince's  metal,  with  side  lamps  of  same.  On  the  front  slide  board  of  con- 
denser case,  is  a  painting  of  an  eagle  perched  on  a  rock  in  the  sea,  bearing  in  his  talons 
the  motto  of  the  company,  "  Semper  paratus  " —  on  the  back  slide  a  painting  of  the  New 
York  city  Coat  of  Arms.  Banner  was  borne  on  the  engine  —  tassels  supported  by  two 
boys.  Banner  represents  Amphitrite,  the  queen  of  the  sea,  drawn  by  tritons  in  her  coral 
car  ;  hovering  over  her  is  Cupid,  with  his  torch  of  fire  —  in  the  distance  a  city  in  flames. 
Engine  was  drawn  by  94  men,  four  abreast,  dressed  in  fire  caps,  red  shirts,  dark  pants, 
and  black  leather  belts. 

Lady  Washington  Engine  Company,  No.  40.  Engine  painted  white,  with  blue 
and  gilt  stripes.  Leader  jacket  painted  white,  with  a  fireman's  certificate  painted  on  one 
aide,  and  a  discharge  certificate  on  the  other  —  painting  on  back,  a  female  sitting,  holding 


284  CELEBRATION    OF    THE 

ill  her  right  hand  a  torch,  arid  on  her  right  an  eagle  with  a  portrait  of  Washington  sus- 
pended from  its  neck.  On  the  top  of  the  condenser  case  a  spread  eagle,  bearing  the  motto 
of  the  company,  "  Combined  to  do  good,  and  not  to  injure."  Three  boys  bearing  brass 
signal  lantern  and  torches.  Engine  drawn  by  60  men  ;  uniform  as  above. 

Clinton  Engine  Company,  No.  41.  Engine  painted  yellow,  with  red  and  gilt 
stripes.  Painting  on  back,  a  pedestal,  on  which  is  a  bust  of  De  Witt  Clinton,  with  the 
genius  of  Agriculture,  crowning  him  with  a  wreath  of  flowers.  At  the  base  of  the 
pedestal  is  an  American  eagle.  On  the  right,  a  view  of  the  city  of  Albany  —  on  the  left 
a  distant  view  of  the  Erie  canal  —  on  the  front  slide,  a  view  of  the  Erie  Canal  Aqueduct 
at  Rochester.  On  the  top  of  the  condenser  case,  a  liberty  cap  with  an  American  flag 
Two  boys  bearing  brass  torches.  Engine  drawn  by  55  men  ;  uniform  as  above. 

Northern  Liberty  Engine  Company,  No.  42.  Large  engine  on  the  same  plan  as 
engine  No.  38  —  painted  black,  with  gilt  stripes  —  polished  brass  mountings.  Engine 
drawn  by  six  white  horses,  preceded  by  the  company,  numbering  37  men.  Dress  fire 
caps,  white  shirt,  and  red  shirt  over  ail,  open  at  the  breast,  and  dark  pants  —  the  banner 
of  white  silk,  embroidered  with  a  wreath,  and  the  name  of  the  company.  The  engine 
was  followed  by  the  hose  tender,  and  also  by  Engine  Company  No.  3,  of  New  Haven,  as 
invited  guests,  attended  by  a  band  of  music.  The  Engine  Company  No.  3,  of  New 
Haven,  consisted  of  38  men,  in  red  shirts,  fire  caps,  and  dark  pants,  drawing  their  engine, 
painted  blue  and  cream  color. 

Mechanic  Hook  and  Ladder  Company,  No.  7.  Truck  elegantly  dressed  with  a 
profusion  of  dahlias  and  other  flowers,  extending  from  a  small  ladder  raised  in  the  centre, 
to  each  end.  Banner,  representing  Neptune  delivering  the  keys  to  Charity,  to  relieve  the 
Widow  and  Orphan.  Truck  drawn  by  35  men,  same  uniform  as  before. 

Engine  Company,   No.  43. 

Live  Oak  Engine  Company,  No.  44.  Engine  painted  color  of  live  oak,  with  gilt 
stripes ;  front  stanchions,  two  carved  figures  of  Turks.  Design  on  the  back,  representing 
Juliet,  in  a  scene  from  the  play  of  Romeo  and  Juliet ;  4  boys  bearing  guide  flags  and 
torches  ;  drawn  by  90  men  ;  fire  caps,  red  shirts,  and  dark  pants. 

Yorkville  Engine  Company,  No.  45.  Engine  painted  cream  color  and  gilt.  De- 
sign on  the  back,  "  Aurora,"  drawn  by  31  men  ;  same  uniform. 

Relief  Engine  Company,  No.  46.  Red  and  salmon  color,  with  gilt  stripes: 
drawn  by  41  men  ;  same  uniform. 

Mazeppa  Engine  Company,  No.  48.  Black  and  gilt.  Design  on  back,  Mazeppa 
bound  to  a  wild  horse  ;  drawn  by  30  men,  same  uniform. 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT.  285 

Mohican  Company,  No.  50.     Red  and  gilt.     Design  on  the  back,  the  city  Coat  of 
Arms  ;  drawn  by  40  men,  uniform  as  before. 

The  Committee  of  Arrangements,  consisted  of  the  following : 

HENRY  B.  HINSDALE,  Foreman  of  Hose  Company,  No.  8.,  Chairman. 
CORNELIUS  V.  ANDERSON,  Chief  Engineer. 
ELIJAH  C.  KING,  Foreman  of  Engine  Company ',  No.  26. 
WILLIAM  WILLIAMSON,  Foreman  of  Engine  Company,  No.  13. 
STEPHEN  KANE,  Foreman  of  Hose  Company,  No.  12. 
HENRY  SNYDER,  Foreman  of  Engine  Company,  No.  42. 
WILLIAM  TAPPER,  Foreman  of  Engine  Company,  No.  46. 

Delegates  to  confer  with  Common  Council. 

HENRY  B.  HINSDALE, 
CORNELIUS  V.   ANDERSON, 

The  number  of  Firemen  from  neighboring  cities,  was     -         -     1,072 
The  number  in  the  New  York  Department     -  -     3,003 


Total,       4,075 

The  Procession  was  so  long  that  it  was  impossible  for  all  to  meet  at  the  Battery,  or 
even  within  two  miles  of  it.  While  one  branch,  therefore,  were  moving  into  the  line  on 
Broadway,  by  marching  towards  the  Battery,  another  in  the  procession  were  marching  up. 
In  this  double  line  the  different  Fire  Companies  passed  and  re-passed  for  three-quarters  of 
an  hour.  The  citizen  firemen  paid  marked  respect  to  their  guests,  and  one  another  as 
they  passed,  either  by  moving  on  with  their  heads  uncovered  or  by  raising  their  hats. 
Surely,  we  thought,  with  Croton  water  to  extinguish  a  fire,  and  such  a  body  of  men  to 
use  it,  New  York  will  never  suffer  again  from  a  conflagration. 

FIFTH  DIVISION. 

Under  the  direction  of  Colonel  Philbrick,  assisted  by  Mr.  James  Nesbitt,  Aids  to  the 
Grand  Marshal. 

Programme  of  the  Procession  of  the  Masonic  Fraternity,  as  part  of  the  General 
Procession  on  the  \kth  of  October,  1842. 

The  Grand  Marshal. 

Band. 
Naval  Lodge,  No.  69,  following  their  banner,  of  blue  silk,  on  which  is  painted  the  U.  S. 

Ship  of  the  line,  Pennsylvania. 

72 


CELEBRATION    OP    THE 

Montgomery  Lodge,  No.  68.     A  green  banner,  with  a  full  length  portrait  of 

General  Montgomery. 

Mariner's  Lodge,  No.  67.     Banner  a  ship  laying  to,  near  a  wreck.     Motto  from  Cowper, 
"  Sweet  Charity,  thou  tutelary  friend  of  helpless  Man." 

La  Fayette  Lodge,  No.  64.     Their  banner  is  a  full  length  portrait  of  La  Fayette,  stand- 
ing on  a  hand,  emblematic  of  the  career  of  the  General  through  life, 

supported  by  the  hand  of  Providence. 

Mechanic's  Lodge,  No.  31.     Banner  representing  the  emblems  of  the  Craft. 

Mount  Moriah  Lodge,  No.  27.     A  scarlet  banner  with  the  three  primitive  Grand  Masters 

assembled  at  the  East  of  Jerusalem.     Hiram  Abiff  exhibiting  the  design  for  the 

interior  of  the  Sanctum  Sanctorum. 

Adelphi  Lodge,  No.  23.     A  crimson  banner  representing  three  Brethren — an  American 

Indian,  an  Asiatic,  and  a  European  in  union. 
Washington  Lodge,  No.  21.    A  blue  banner  with  a  copy  of  Stuart's  head  of 

Washington. 
Abram's  Lodge,  No.  20.   A  blue  banner  with  a  vignette  painting  of  Abram,  the  father  of 

the  faithful. 

Fortitude  Lodge  No.  19.     Banner  with  vignette  appropriate  to  the  name. 

Trinity  Lodge,  No.  12.     Banner  of  dark  blue,  with  angels  adoring  the  sacred  Word. 

Independent  Royal  Arch  Lodge,  No.  2.     Banner  of  light  blue,  with  the  Arch  of  Titus. 

in  vignette. 

Ancient  Chapter,  No.  1  (of  Royal  Arch  Masons),  with  a  large  scarlet  banner  with  the 

name  of  the  body  in  gold  letters. 
Knights  Templars  in  the  costume  of  the  Order. 

Representatives  of  the  Grand  Lodges  of  New  Jersey,  Connecticut,  Georgia,  South 

Carolina,  District  of  Columbia,  and  Hamburg,  with  small  banners  of  arms. 

The  Officers  of  the  Grand  Lodge. 

Grand  Tiler,  with  drawn  sword. 

Four  Grand  Stewards  with  white  rods. 

Grand  Standard  of  the  Order,  with  four  supporters.     This  banner  is  in  the  form  of  a 
Masonic  apron,  of  white  silk,  and  purple  satin  flap.     On  the  centre  is  the  arms 
of  the  Ancient  Freemasons  ;  on  the  flap  the  name  of  "  THE  GRAND 
LODGE  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK  ;"    the  whole  sur- 
rounded by  a  broad  border  of  ornamental  gilding. 

Grand  Sword  Bearer,  with  Sword  of  State. 

The  Holy  Bible  on  a  purple  velvet  cushion,  borne  by  a  Past  Master,     On  this  Bible  is 

inscribed  the  following  legend ; 


CROTON    AdUEDUCT.  287 

"  On  this  Sacred  Volume, 
On  the  30th  day  of  April,  A.  L.,  5789, 
In  the  City  of  New  York, 

Was  administered  to 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON, 

The  first  President  of  the  United  States  of 

America, 

THE  OATH 

To  support  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States. 

This  important  ceremony  was 
Performed  by  The  Most  Worshipful  Grand  Master 
Of  the  State  of  New  York, 

The  Honorable 

ROBERT  R.  LIVINGSTON, 

Chancellor  of  the  State." 

Two  Grand  Chaplains. 
Grand  Secretary  and  Grand  Treasurer. 

Senior  and  Junior  Grand  Wardens. 
The  Rt.  W.  Deputy  Grand  Master,  and  The  Most  Worshipful  Grand  Master,  the  venera. 

ble  MORGAN  LEWIS,  in  a  barouche,  supported  by  four  Grand  Deacons  with 

blue  staves. 

Contractors  and  Workmen  of  the  Water  Works. 
A  large  main  Pipe  drawn  by  four  horses. 

A  truck  surmounted  by  a  banner  with  the  inscription  "  Croton  Aqueduct  Depart- 
ment," bearing  several  pipes,  and  workmen,  with  red  caps,  on  which  was  inscribed  "  pipe 
layers,"  at  work.  Banner  with  portrait  of  De  Witt  Clinton,  and  a  view  of  the  locks  of  a 
canal. 

Xylographic  Society  and  Printers. 

North  River  Navy.     A  car  drawn  by  two  horses,  representing  the  Miller  and  his  Men. 
A  car  drawn  by  four  horses,  with  model  of  steamboat  North  America. 

North  River  Steamboat  Captains  in  two  Barouches. 

The  Fraternity  wore  all  the  varied  badges  and  insignia  of  the  craft,  and  the  division 
was  one  of  the  most  novel  and  interesting  of  the  group.  The  Croton  Water  Pipe  was 
hauled  along  to  show  what  had  been  done  by  men,  and  by  what  means  it  had  been  ac- 
complished. Pipe  of  every  weight  and  dimension,  the  implements  of  the  workmen,  their 
carts,  machinery,  (fee.,  all  made  a  part  of  the  tout  ensemble  of  this  division. 


288  CELEBRATION    OF    THE 

The  Printing  Press  was  the  same  that  Benjamin  Franklin  had  worked  upon  in 
London,  and  on  the  same  car  was  one  of  the  new  fashioned  ones  of  our  day,  occupied  in 
striking  off  an  ode  written  for  the  occasion. 

The  North  River  Navy  was  represented  in  a  long  boat  well  filled  and  manned,  and 
hailing  as  "  The  People's  Line." 

The  Miller  and  his  Men  were  up  to  their  eyes  in  meal.  The  corn  was  ground,  bags 
of  meal  laid  by,  and  everything  betokened  the  thrift  and  enterprise  of  the  laborer,  and  of 
the  business. 

The  Phenix  Foundry  in  this  division  was  a  model  piece  of  work.  It  was  a  live 
foundry,  with  live  coals  of  fire,  and  smoke  enough  almost  to  have  driven  those  out  of  doors 
within,  as  it  certainly  would  have  driven  those  in  doors  out.  Various  emblems  and  in- 
scriptions adorned  this  live  house,  one  of  which  was  "  Strike  while  the  iron  is  hot.'' 
"  Practice  makes  perfect,"  &c. 

SIXTH  DIVISION, 

Under  the  direction  of  Capt.  Win.  H.  Cornell,  assisted  by  Mr.  George  G.  Hopkins, 
Aids  to  the  Grand  Marshal, — comprising  the 

Butchers  of  the  cities  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn. 

The  Butchers  had  a  banner  with  the  inscription  "  Agriculture  is  our  National 

wealth." 

Here  was  another  and  one  of  the  grandest  of  the  exhibitions  of  the  day.  Every 
butcher  was  in  costume,  with  his  clean  white  apron,  and  both  arms  covered  with  a  checked 
sleeve,  slipped  on  to  make  all  neat  and  tidy.  A  large  part  of  the  number  were  on  white 
horses.  Many  amusing  badges,  banners  and  appropriate  devices  were  scattered  through 
the  procession.  A  large  ox  and  a  lamb  were  upon  one  platform  ;  upon  another  enclosed  as 
in  a  yard,  was  a  cow,  calf,  and  a  score  of  sheep,  all  alive,  bleating  and  kicking,  and  seem- 
ing amused  and  delighted  at  being  the  lions  of  the  day,  not  bearing  a  load,  but  being  borne 
and  well  fed  by  the  corn  and  hay  which  had  been  abundantly  provided.  Next  came  the 

SEVENTH  DIVISION, 

Under  the  direction  of  Mr.  John  Ridley,  assisted  by  Mr.  Silas  J.  Howell,  Aids  to  the 
Grand  Marshal, — comprising 

Gold  and  Silver  Artizans. 
Mercantile  Library   Association. 

Marine  Society. 
The  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  city  of  New  York. 


CROTON    AdUEDUCT.  289 

With  the  Apprentices'   Library  and  Male  Department  of  the  Mechanics'  Society  School 

belonging  to  the  Society. 

Band  of   Music. 

Banner  of  the  Society.     Of  blue  silk,  edged  with  white  silk  fringe  and  tassels. 
Description  :  crimson  draperies  on  a  blue  ground,  in  the  centre  a  Medallion,  representing  a 
pelican  feeding  her  young,  surmounted  by  the  American  Eagle,  bearing 
the  Arm  and  Hammer,  the  well  known  emblem 

of  the  Society : 

Under  the  Medallion,  "General  Society  of    Mechanics  and  Tradesmen,  instituted,'' 

MDCCLXXXV. 

Marshal,  Richard  E.  Mount,  Ex-President  of  the  Society. 

Aids,  Edwin  B.  Clayton,  Samuel  Roome,   Ex-Presidents  of  the  Society. 

President  of  the  Society,  Linus  W.  Stephens. 

First  Vice  President,  James  Yan  Norden. 
Second   Vice    President,    Shivers    Parker. 
Treasurer,  Adoniram  Chandler,  Ex-President  of  the  Society. 
Secretary,  Isaac  Fryer, 

Ex-Presidents. 

John  McComb,  Brigham  Howe, 

Cornelius  C.  Jacobus,          Eleutheros  D.  Comstock. 
Members  of  the  Society. 

Apprentices'  Library. 
Banner  of  blue  silk.     Medallion.     The  Arm  and  Hammer.     Readers  of  the  Apprentices' 

Library. 
Chairman  of  the  Library  Committee,  James  B.  Bensal. 

Members  of  the  Library  Committee. 

Readers    of    the    Apprentices'  Library. 

Banner  of  blue  silk.     Medallion.     The  Arm  and  Hammer.     Knowledge  is  Power. 

Male  Department  of  the  Mechanics'  Society  School. 
Banner  of  blue  silk.     Medallion.     The  Arm  and  Hammer.     Mechanics' Society  School. 

Instituted  1820. 
Chairman  of  the  School  Committee,  James  Phyfe. 

Members  of  the  School  Committee. 

Principal  of  the  School,  Isaac  F.  Bragg. 

Pupils  of  the  Male  Department  of  the  School  six  abreast,  in  charge  of  Assistant 

Teachers. 

Banner  of  blue  silk,  same  as  last  mentioned. 
73 


290  CELEBRATION    OF    THE 

Whole  number  in  procession,  367. 

American  Institute. 

Mechanics'  Institute,  with  a  miniature  steam  engine  in  full  operation. 
School  of  Mechanics'  Institute. 

The  banner  borne  by  the  Gold  and  Silver  Artizans  was  of  blue  silk,  about  two  yards 
square,  surrounded  by  a  rich  gold  colored  fringe.  On  the  front  was  painted  a  shield,  in  the 
quarters  of  which  was  represented  in  gold  and  silver  the  different  articles  of  their  manu- 
facture ;  under  the  shield  on  a  ribbon  was  the  motto  "Union  and  Perseverance  ensures 
success."  On  the  reverse  a  shield,  on  which  was  represented  a  mechanic's  arm  and  ham- 
mer, and  around  it,  in  letters  of  gold,  the  name  and  date  of  the  association,  "  Gold  and 
Silver  Artizans,  1841."  They  also  bore  in  procession  on  a  platform  with  raised  centre,  co- 
vered with  black  velvet,  a  splendid  display  of  Silver  ware  and  Jewelry,  and  specimens  of 
pure  Gold  and  Silver  in  bars.  This  display  was  of  several  thousand  dollars  value,  and 
attracted  from  the  admirers  of  these  articles  the  attention  they  richly  merited. 

The  number  in  procession  was  supposed  to  be  about  three  hundred. 

The  various  societies  which  followed  bore  each  their  appropriate  badges  and  banners 
and  young  and  old  presented  a  pleasing  view. 

EIGHTH  DIVISION. 

Under  the  direction  of  Surgeon  General  Pennell,  assisted  by  Col.  Robt.  C.  Morris, 
aids  to  the  Grand  Marshal. 

Friendly  Sons  of  St.  Patrick. 

Officers  of  Irish  Emigrant  Society. 

Hibernian  Benevolent  Burial  Society. 

Hibernian  Universal  Benevolent  Society. 

Shamrock  Benevolent  Society. 

Sons  of  Herman. 
German  Washington  Benevolent  Society. 

Italian  Universal  Benevolent  Society,  with  an  elegant  banner  of  the  landing  of  Columbus 

on  the  discovery  of  America. 

St.  David's  Society,  preceded  by  a  stage  on  which  were  seated  three  bards  with  long 

beards,  playing  on  their  Cambrian  harps. 

Welsh  Temperance  Society,  with  a  banner. 

These  Societies  turned  out  strongly  and  with  all  their  emblems.  There  were 
Harps  and  Harpists,  and  instruments  and  men  did  honor  to  each  of  the  several  societies 
and  countries  represented.  One  at  a  glance  could  see  in  this  division  men  born  in  al- 


CROTON    ACIUEDUCT. 

most  a  dozen  Kingdoms,  all  good  citizens  here,  but  like  all  good  citizens,  though  adopted, 
never  forgetting  the  land  of  their  fathers,  or  the  mothers  that  nursed  them. 

NINTH  DIVISION. 

Under  the  direction  of  Colonel  A.  G.  Crasto,  assisted  by  Col.  Benj.  W.  Benson  and 
Major  Minthorn  Tompkins,  Aids  to  the  Grand  Marshal. 

Comprising 

The  Temperance  Societies,  en  masse. 

Barouch,  containing  the  officers  of  the  Liberty  Hose  Company  of  Baltimore. 
Washington  Temperance  Guards,  commanded  by  Capt.  Wm.  Lee. 

Union  Riflemen. 

Sandy  Welch,  mounted  on  a  charger. 
Washington  Temperance  Benevolent  Society. 

Marine  Temperance  Society. 

Manhattan  Temperance  Society. 

Junior  Washington  Temperance  Society. 

Franklin  Temperance  Society,  preceded  by  a  band  composed  of  members  of  the  Institute 

for  the  Blind,  seated  on  a  car. 

Junior  Franklin  Temperance  Society. 

Broadway  Washington  Temperance  Society. 

Rockland  Lake  Association,  with  two  ice  carts. 

Mount  Pitt  Temperance  Society. 
Washington  Total  Abstinence  Society. 

Neptune  Temperance  Society,  accompanied  by  a  detachment  of  U.  S.  Marines  and  Soldiers, 

in  uniform. 

Chelsea  Temperance  Benevolent  Society. 
Bloomingdale  Temperance  Society. 

Howard  Temperance  Society. 

Eagle  Junioi-  Temperance  Society. 

Cold  Spring  Temperance  Society. 

Young  Men's  Cold  Spring  Temperance  Society. 

Hamilton  Temperance  Society. 

Lafayette  Temperance  Society. 

Fifth  Ward  Temperance  Society. 

Washington  Temperance  Society. 

Good  Samaritan  Temperance  Society. 

Washington  Temperance  Benevolent  Society  of  Brooklyn. 

Junior  Hand  in  Hand  Temperance  Society, 


292  CELEBRATION    OF    THE 

Washington  Prospect  Temperance  Beneficial  Society. 
Printing  Press  on  a  stage,  in  operation,  printing  Temperance  odes. 

Bakers'  Temperance  Society. 
Washington  Temperance  Benevolent  Society  of  Jersey  City. 

Marshal  Temperance  Society. 

Lady  Marshal  Temperance  Society.  The  members,  ladies,  being  drawn  in  six  barouehes. 
What  a  revolution  was  here.  Gray  hairs  and  beardless  boys,  mothers  and  daughters, 
both  sexes,  all  ages  and  ranks  were  here.  Reformed  drunkards  made  good  and  sober  citi- 
zens, and  these  not  seen  in  one  or  a  score  but  in  a  thousand  faces.  The  heart  beats  light- 
er at  such  a  spectacle  as  this,  and  words  in  praise  of  it  is  but  gilding  refined  gold  or  adding 
a  perfume  to  the  violet. 

We  have  obtained  the  following  notice  of  some  of  the  banners  borne  by  the  Tempe- 
rance Societies : 

Cold  Spring  Temperance  Benevolent  Society.  Henry  K.  Gushing,  President ;  P. 
J.  Bagwell,  V.  R.  Terry,  Vice  Presidents ;  M.  Dougherty,  Recording  Secretary ;  Thomas 
Edgerly,  Corresponding  Secretary;  John  C.  West,  Financial  Secretary;  Ezra  Beach, 
Treasurer  ;  Dr.  M.  L.  Osborn,  Marshal.  Banner,  of  blue  silk,  (presented  to  this  Society 
by  John  Stewart  Esq.,  Alderman  of  the  14th  Ward,)  representing  a  gentleman  tendering 
the  pledge  of  total  abstinence  to  a  poor  ragged  inebriate.  Inscription,  "  Turn  ;  drink  of 
the  pure  fountain  of  life,  come  with  us  and  be  free.  A  small  banner,  Cold  Spring  Tem- 
perance Benevolent  Society.  Organised  Nov.  19,  1841. 

Large  Banner  of  the  Baker's  Temperance  Benevolent  Society.  America,  the 
Genius  of  Temperance,  offering  the  Staff  of  Life  and  the  Cup  of  Health,  and  pleading  the 
cause  of  Temperance.  The  Temple  of  Science  and  Wisdom  divides  the  picture,  showing 
the  opposing  principles  ;  on  the  left  the  sun  rises  in  all  his  glory  ;  Peace,  Commerce,  Me- 
chanics, and  Agriculture  flourish.  On  the  right  how  different  the  picture  !  The  sun 
sets  in  blood,  the  earth  wrapped  in  all  the  horrors  of  Intemperance  ;  the  lightning  destroy- 
ing the  false  light  that  has  already  enticed  the  ship  of  the  Inebriate  to  his  destruction.  The 
moderate  drinker  is  coming  on  under  easy  sail,  just  entering  the  sea  of  trouble,  and  the  first 
glass  making  its  appearance  on  the  horizon.  One  figure  represents  beastly  intoxication,  the 
other  one  has  just  thrown  off  the  shackles  of  Intemperance,  and  is  supplicating  for  pro- 
tection and  relief.  The  Anchor  of  Hope  firmly  planted  in  the  Rock  of  Safety  with  the  pledge 
of  Total  Abstinence  for  its  cable,  extending  across  the  abyss  of  destruction  and  winding 
through  the  land.  On  the  reverse  side,  the  American  eagle,  descending  with  the  Olive 
Branch  of  Peace  and  the  Shield  of  Protection  emblazoned  with  the  likeness  of  the  Father 
of  his  Country,  and  the  GOD-FATHER  OF  TEMPERANCE.  The  motto,  "  Conquer  we 
Must,  for  our  cause  it  is  just."  Both  banners  designed  and  painted  by  A.  D.  O.  Brouerel,  of 


CROTON    AdUEDUCT.  293 

Brooklyn.  The  small  banner,  front  side,  represents  the  interior  of  a  Bake  House,  and  the 
Temperate  Bakers  cheerfully  performing  their  work.  All  is  Peace,  Harmony,  and  Clean- 
liness, and  an  appropriate  motto,  "  Praise  God  for  all."  On  the  reverse  side,  encircled  in 
scroll  work,  is  a  landscape,  brightened  with  the  Sun  of  Peace,  and  the  Sheaf  of  Plenty  is 
standing  in  a  field  where  the  grain  is  already  stacked  ;  motto  the  same  as  above. 

The  Good  Samaritan  Temperance  Benevolent  Society,  was  headed  by  a  splendid 
large  banner,  representing  the  Good  Samaritan  in  his  act  of  Mercy  upon  an  unfortunate 
man,  who  had  fallen  among  thieves,  and  lain  by  the  road  side,  in  accordance  with  the 
name  they  bear.  On  the  reverse,  the  Woman  of  Samaria,  at  Jacob's  Well,  in  the  act  of 
giving  a  draught  of  water  to  the  Saviour  of  men.  This  Society  numbers  rising  500 
members,  and  turned  out  about  200,  owing  to  so  many  belonging  to  other  Soci- 
eties. The  Officers  of  the  Society  are,  Nathan  Cropsey,  President ;  Lorenzo  B.  Porter, 
Vice  President ;  John  Yincent,  Secretary.  Seaman  H.  Wright,  Marshal  of  the  day ; 
William  Moger,  James  H.  Green,  Mott  Owen,  W.  H.  Pennington,  and  James  Frasier, 
Aids. 

The  Manhattan  Temperance  Benevolent  Society  of  the  city  of  New  York.  Mr. 
Abraham  Van  Disberk,  the  Grand  Marshal  of  the  day,  on  horse  back  ;  next  was  the  ban- 
ner of  the  Society,  carried  by  Mr.  Henry  Van  Benscoton,  Mr.  Sillick  Roberts,  and  Mr. 
Price.  The  banner  green  and  purple  silk,  surmounted  with  a  cherry  colored  liberty 
cap,  and  drapery  of  the  same ;  color  the  design  on  the  front  side  is  an  Indian,  representing 
the  last  of  the  Manhattoes;  in  his  left  hand,  a  bow,  with  which  he  is  pointing  to  a  grave, 
or  Indian  mound,  that  contains  the  last  of  his  race,  that  has  been  destroyed  by  alchohol ; 
at  his  right  hand  is  a  beautiful  female,  representing  the  Genius  of  Temperance,  with  one 
hand  on  his  shoulder,  and  with  the  other  hand  holding  out  the  pledge,  and  with  a  kind 
look,  begs  him  to  sign,  but  with  a  look  of  sorrow,  he  declines,  as  he  is  the  last  of  his  race  ; 
at  their  feet  runs  a  clear  stream  of  water ;  in  the  distance  is  seen  the  city,  with  her  tall 
spires  and  masts  pointing  to  the  clouds — the  whole  surrounded  with  the  inscription, 
Manhattan  Temperance  Benevolent  Society,  organised  February  23d,  1841  ;  on  the  other 
side  of  the  banner  represents  a  Ship  Yard,  with  a  ship  in  frame,  and  the  carpenters  to 
work  at  it  ;  in  one  side  of  the  yard  is  a  well  of  water,  and  one  of  the  men  drinking  out  of 
the  bucket ;  at  a  distance  we  see  a  ship  under  full  sail  in  a  storm,  representing  the  storm 
of  intemperance  ;  above,  you  discerne  the  clouds  breaking  away,  and  the  rainbow  of  pro- 
mise, assuring  us  that  the  storm  is  passing  over,  and  there  is  yet  hope  for  the  poor  drunk- 
ard ;  it  is  surrounded  with  the  inscription,  "  Auxiliary  to  the  Washington  Temperance 
Benevolent  Society  of  New  York." 

Next  followed  the  officers  of  the  Society,  viz :  George  Hull,   President,  John  R. 
Ames,  Vice  President,  Wm.  Bennet,  Secretary,  David  L.  Young,  Treasurer.    In  the 
74 


294  CELEBRATION    OF    THE 

centre  of  the  line  was  a  small  banner,  carried  by  three  boys  ;  on  it  was  the  representation 
of  a  decanter  of  brandy,  upside  down,  with  the  brandy  running  out,  with  the  inscription  over 
the  top,  "  Right  Side  Up ;"  in  the  rear,  was  a  white  banner,  with  the  inscription  of  Man- 
hattan Temperance  Benevolent  Society  of  New  York.  The  Staff  Marshal  was  Silas 
Pearsall. 

The  Festivities  in  the  Park  on  the  return  of  the  Procession, 

At  two  o'clock,  a  part  of  the  advanced  guard  of  the  procession,  consisting  of  a 
detachment  of  the  Washington  Grays,  gallopped  up  to  the  front  of  the  City  Hall,  and 
announced  to  the  officers  in  attendance  there,  that  the  cavalcade  had  reached  the  Chatham 
Square  on  its  return.  Measures  were  immediately  taken  to  clear  the  space  in  front  of  the 
City  Hall,  as  also  the  scaffolding  which  had  been  erected  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
Sacred  Music  Society  and  the  orators  of  the  day.  At  this  time  the  rear  of  the  left  wing 
of  the  vast  procession  was  still  filing  past  the  west  side  of  the  Park,  so  that  at  the  most 
moderate  computation  it  could  not  be  less  than  seven  miles  in  length. 

At  20  minutes  past  two,  his  Honor  the  Mayor  and  the  members  of  the  Common 
Council,  foreign  Consuls,  and  invited  guests,  took  their  stations  on  the  front  of  the  Hall, 
which  then  presented  a  most  animated  spectacle,  every  nook  and  niche  being  crowded 
with  spectators.  The  troops  then  passed  in  review  order  before  the  assembly,  and  were 
followed  by  the  other  portions  of  the  procession,  with  the  exception  of  some  few  detach- 
ments which  filed  off,  and  entered  the  Park  by  the  southeastern  gate. 

By  half  past  four  o'clock,  the  immense  cavalcade  had  filed  off  and  been  stationed  at 
convenient  distances  in  the  Park,  whereupon  the  Grand  Marshal,  Gilbert  Hopkins, 
announced  to  the  orator  of  the  day  that  the  Mayor  was  ready  to  hear  him.  Samuel  Ste- 
vens, Esq.,  President  of  the  Board  of  Water  Commissioners,  then  advanced  to  the 
front  of  the  platform  and  delivered  the  following  address,  which  was  listened  to  with  the 
most  patient  attention, 

Mr.  Mayor  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Common  Council  : 

In  delivering  over  the  Croton  water,  and  the  works  on  this  island,  I  have  been 
requested  by  your  Committee  to  make  such  remarks  as  the  occasion  may  suggest. 

Prom  the  earliest  period  of  the  history  of  our  city,  the  attainment  of  pure  and  whole- 
some water  has  been  a  subject  of  the  highest  interest. 

The  Tea  Water  Pump,  situated  near  the  corner  of  Pearl  and  Chatham  streets,  was, 
for  a  long  period  of  time,  the  grand  source  of  all  drinkable  water  for  the  lower  part  of  the 
city. 


CROTON    AQ.UEDUCT.  295 

Mr.  Stevens  then  gave  a  rapid  sketch  of  the  various  schemes,  propositions,  and 
devices,  for  supplying  the  city  —  all  which  having  been  presented  more  at  large  in  the 
memoir,  are  omitted  here. 

Mr.  Stevens  then  continued  — 

We  of  New  York  have  therefore  now  got  the  great  desideratum,  an  abundant  supply 
of  pure  and  wholesome  water,  to  be  sure  at  a  great  cost — nine  millions  of  dollars,  exclu- 
sive of  the  main  and  distributing  pipes  throughout  the  city,  (now  laid  to  the  extent  of  130 
miles,)  exclusive  of  the  interest  accumulating  on  the  cost,  being  in  all  twelve  millions  of 
dollars. 

Well,  what  of  that !  does  it  not  belong  to  the  system  which  Eternal  Wisdom  has 
inflicted  on  the  world  1  —  that  the  greatest  blessings  can  only  be  procured  at  the  greatest 
cost  and  sacrifices  ? 

What  is  this  water  to  do  for  us  1  It  is  to  protect  our  city  from  the  awful  conflagra- 
tions to  which  it  was  subject.  We  now  pay  in  premiums  one  million  of  dollars  annually 
to  insure  about  half  the  value  of  our  buildings,  goods,  and  chattels,  for  we  are  our  own 
underwriters  to  the  extent  of  one  million  more  of  premiums  —  here  are  two  millions  in 
premiums  paid,  or  risks  incurred.  If  the  Croton  works  give  but  half  security,  you  save 
more  than  will  pay  the  whole  interest  of  the  cost.  Reflect,  gentlemen,  on  the  amount  of 
property  consumed  in  the  city,  and  then  consider  if  we  cannot  aiford  to  give  twelve  mil- 
lions for  security.  In  two  days  of  December,  1835,  our  citizens  had  consumed  by  fire 
twenty  millions  of  dollars,  principally  in  warehouses  and  merchandise. 

If  the  twenty  millions  of  property  destroyed  had  consisted  of  dwelling  houses,  it 
would  have  turned  100,000  of  our  citizens  into  the  streets. 

I  do  not  state  an  impossible  case.  I  state  an  event  highly  probable  to  have  happened  ; 
for  London — a  city  built  of  less  wooden  materials — had  at  one  fire,  in  1666,  13,000 
houses  burnt,  which  occupied  436  acres,  and  embraced  400  streets,  86  churches,  and  a 
variety  of  magnificent  buildings.  The  destruction  amounted  in  value  to  fifty  millions  of 
dollars.  The  extensive  fire  at  Hamburg  during  the  past  year,  and  the  constant  occur- 
rence of  fires  throughout  our  country,  show  the  danger  we  were  in. 

Does  any  individual  still  say  that  we  cannot  afford  to  pay  so  much  as  this  great  work 
has  cost?  I  assert  that  security  against  such  awful  calamities  cannot  be  too  dearly 
bought,  if  it  is  bought  at  the  lowest  possible  rate. 

It  must  be  had  if  possible  in  every  community,  and  the  man  who  grudges  money  to 
save  the  city  from  destruction,  can  be  only  one  who  wants  no  security  but  for  stocks,  and 
dividends,  and  bonds,  and  mortgages  ;  and  into  whose  thoughts  the  welfare  and  happiness 
of  his  fellow  beings  never  enter, 


296  CELEBRATION    OP    THE 

But  does  water  cost  so  much?  London,  in  1834,  was  supplied  with  34,000,000  gal- 
lons, and  paid  for  it  annually  $1,380,000.  Paris  is  supplied  with  two  quarts  per  day  to 
each  individual,  at  an  expense  of  $750,000  per  annum.  The  Croton  will  furnish  three 
hogsheads  a  day  to  each  of  our  population,  at  but  $600,000  per  annum. 

After  all,  we  have  followed  but  at  a  respectable  distance  ancient  Rome,  with  her  nine 
aqueducts,  some  of  which  were  longer  than  the  Croton  Aqueduct,  and  together  were 
capable  of  supplying  250,000,000  of  gallons  per  day.  But  history  does  not  enable  us  to 
say,  if  all  of  them  were  in  operation  at  one  time ;  nor  do  we  know  all  the  purposes  to 
which  it  was  applied.  The  irrigation  of  the  land  was  no  doubt  among  its  most  extensive 
uses.  Nor  do  we  learn  whether  these  aqueducts  supplied  one  million  or  four  millions  of 
inhabitants,  so  widely  do  the  accounts  of  the  population  of  ancient  Rome  diifer. 

The  works  of  Rome  were  built  by  soldiers  and  by  slaves.  Ours  was  voted  for  by 
freemen,  was  constructed  by  freemen — and  we  make  the  aspiration  that  in  all  ages  to 
come  it  may  bless  freemen,  and  freemen  only  ! 

Mr.  Stevens  then  went  on  to  speak  of  the  value  and  healthfulness  of  the  water  for 
domestic  purposes,  of  which  the  quantity  used  daily,  he  computed  to  weigh  250,000  tons ; 
paid  a  merited  compliment  to  the  Firemen  of  New  York,  and  adverted  to  the  fact  that  in 
all  expenditures  on  this  great  work  it  is  not  known  that  a  single  dollar  of  the  people's 
money  has  been  lost  or  dishonestly  applied,  and  he  hoped  that  while  the  Corporation 
would  adopt  measures  in  reference  to  the  water  to  meet  the  interest  on  the  debt,  they 
would  be  just  to  the  rich,  and  liberal  to  the  poor. 

In  conclusion,  Mr.  Stevens  said,  it  was  a  source  of  great  pride  and  satisfaction  to 
him,  as  a  native  of  this  great  city,  to  say,  that  he  had  watched  with  care  and  some  anxi- 
ety, every  person  who  had  formed  a  part  of  this  great  and  noble  celebration,  and  that  he 
could  not  discover  neither  a  drunkard  nor  a  fool  from  the  first  to  the  last. 

As  soon  as  the  cheer  had  subsided,  the  following  reply  was  made  by  J.  L.  Lawrence, 
Esq.,  President  of  the  Croton  Aqueduct  Board : 

Mr.  President,  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Board  of  Water  Commissioners : — 

In  receiving,  with  my  associates  of  the  Croton  Aqueduct  Board,  the  custody  of  the 
work  committed  to  us,  I  take  the  occasion  to  convey  to  you,  the  thanks  of  your  fellow- 
citizens,  for  the  zeal,  perseverance  and  fidelity  with  which  your  duty  has  been  performed, 
and  to  congratulate  you  on  the  virtual  completion  of  the  work  entrusted  to  you,  and  your 
predecessors  in  office.  Of  the  manner  in  which  both  have  discharged  their  respective 
tasks,  the  results  we  this  day  celebrate,  speak  in  most  emphatic  praise.  The  science  and 
skill  of  your  able  engineers,  have  excluded  all  errors  of  combination  and  construction, 


CROTON    AaUEDUCT.  297 

and  met  the  highest  expectations  of  the  public.  In  mechanical  execution,  the  work  ap- 
pears to  defy  the  test  of  scrutiny,  as  completely  as  we  trust  it  is  destined  to  resist  the  as- 
saults of  time.  Contrary  to  predictions,  ventured  on  the  subject,  its  efficiency  in  deliver- 
ing the  water,  not  only  equals  but  largely  exceeds  the  mathematical  estimate. 

The  island  on  which  New  York  is  built,  is  peculiarly  fitted  for  the  site  of  a  great 
city.  Blessed  with  a  salubrious  climate — surrounded  by  waters  forming  a  noble  harbor, 
and  constituting  links  of  natural  or  practicable  inland  communication  with  adjacent  sis- 
ter States,  with  the  rich  territory  of  our  own  State,  and  with  the  boundless  and  fertile 
regions  of  the  West — connected  by  a  short  and  uninterrupted  passage  with  the  ocean,  the 
pathway  from  foreign  climes,  and  from  the  extensive  sea-board  of  our  confederate  States, 
and  possessing,  within  easy  reach,  almost  every  necessary  for  construction  and  supply, 
our  position  combines  natural  advantages  for  a  large  community,  devoted  to  the  prosecu- 
tion of  commerce  and  the  arts,  unsurpassed  by  those  of  any  other  spot  on  the  globe.  In 
the  list  of  these  endowments,  one  essential,  only,  appeared  to  be  absent.  Pure  and  whole- 
some water,  an  element  indispensable  to  the  wants,  comforts,  and  business  of  a  crowded 
population,  was  found  within  our  limits  in  inadequate  quantity ;  and  at  each  onward 
stride  of  our  city,  even  this  stinted  allowance  decreased  in  purity,  as  well  as  in  measure, 
until  it  had  become  our  reproach.  A  sufficient  and  permanent  supply  was  to  be  found 
only  at  a  great  distance,  as  if  to  test  whether  the  gifts  so  bountifully  bestowed  on  us, 
could  incite  us  to  repair  the  single  deficiency.  To  accomplish  the  object,  it  was  neces- 
sary that  formidable  physical  obstacles  should  be  overcome  ;  that  capacious  and  enduring 
channels  of  covered  masonry  should  be  constructed,  rivaling  in  extent  and  magnitude,  the 
boasted  aqueducts  of  antiquity,  and  casting  into  shade  any  kindred  works  of  modern 
times  ;  and  that,  for  these  purposes,  an  expenditure  should  be  incurred,  exceeding  that 
which  was  encountered  by  our  State,  when  she  united  the  Hudson  with  the  Lakes.  And 
such  momentous  results  were  to  be  obtained,  not  from  the  resources  and  co-operation  of 
an  entire  people,  but  through  the  credit  and  enterprise  of  a  single  city,  which,  though 
destined,  as  we  cannot  doubt,  eventually  to  equal  in  population  and  wealth  the  proudest 
capitals  of  the  civilized  world,  was  to  be  impelled  to  the  vast  effort  while  yet  in  the  in- 
fancy only  of  her  growth  and  strength  ! 

It  is  with  feelings  of  pride  and  joy,  we  this  day  realize  that  the  work  is  achieved. 
The  obstacles  have  disappeared.  The  hill  has  been  levelled  or  pierced,  the  stream  and 
the  valley  have  been  overleaped,  the  rock  has  been  smitten  !  Nature,  yielding  to  human 
industry,  perseverance  and  skill,  no  longer  withholds  the  boon  she  had  before  denied  us. 
A  river,  whose  pure  waters  are  gathered  from  the  lakes  of  the  mountain-range,  arrested 
and  diverted  in  its  course,  after  pouring  its  tribute  through  a  permanent  and  spacious 
archway,  for  more  than  forty  miles,  at  length  reaches  our  magnificent  reservoirs,  from 
75 


298  CELEBRAION    OF    THE 

whence  it  is  conducted  by  subterranean  conduits,  extending  one  hundred  and  thirty  ad- 
ditional miles,  throughout  the  greatest  portion  of  our  city.  The  necessary  additions, 
comparatively  not  large,  are  now  in  rapid  progress,  which  will  diffuse  the  salutary  current 
through  every  remaining  artery  and  vein  of  our  metropolis,  exciting  new  and  healthful 
pulsations  in  her  system,  and  spreading  comfort,  activity,  and  vigor  throughout  her  en- 
tire frame. 

Of  the  valuable  consequences  which  will  be  derived  from  this  work,  some  may  not 
be  developed  until  after  successive  years.  The  little  experience  already  had,  points  to 
many  useful  results  that  were  not  foreseen.  Among  its  immediate  and  palpable  benefits, 
are  its  influences  on  domestic  convenience  and  comfort — the  promotion  of  sobriety  and 
personal  cleanliness — the  purification  of  our  streets — the  consequent  increase  of  public 
health — the  facilities  it  will  extend  to  mechanical  and  manufacturing  industry — the  vast 
increase  of  steam-power  among  us,  to  be  employed  in  the  arts — the  supply  to  our  mari- 
ners of  a  necessary  element,  which  will  remain  comparatively  unaffected  by  change  of 
climate,  and  pre-eminently,  the  security  it  will  afford  against  the  dangers  of  conflagration. 
Each  neighborhood,  uniting  its  inhabitants  for  purposes  of  mutual  safety,  may  promptly 
arrest  the  ravages  of  fire  in  its  early  stages ;  and  if  such  associations  be  numerously  form- 
ed, extensive  fires  need  but  rarely  occur.  Large  as  we  may  deem  the  expense  of  this 
vast  structure,  we  cannot  but  consider  it  as  cheaply  purchased,  when  we  reflect  that  the 
calamity  of  a  night,  occurring  when  we  were  without  the  protection  now  afforded,  in- 
volved a  destruction  of  property  of  twice  this  cost. 

The  history,  Mr.  President,  which  you  have  this  day  given,  of  the  rise  and  progress 
of  this  undertaking,  forms  a  just  tribute  to  numerous  citizens,  who  assisted  in  its  origin 
and  consummation.  It  is  a  characteristic  of  this  work,  that  the  credit  attached  to  it,  be- 
longs pre-eminently  to  no  individual,  but  is  diffused,  though  in  unequal  degree,  through- 
out an  extensive  circle.  Fortunately,  the  field  of  commendation  is  so  large,  that  each 
may  reap  his  deserved  harvest,  without  infringing  the  rights  of  his  neighbor.  Our  thanks 
and  remembrances  are  due  to  ALL,  whose  exertions  in  the  Legislature  of  the  State — in 
our  municipal  councils — in  the  various  commissions  of  exploration,  of  survey,  of  estimate, 
superintendence  and  construction,  contributed  to  the  great  achievement.  Nor  can  I  pass 
over  the  munificence  and  public  spirit  which  have  been  displayed  by  the  whole  body  of 
our  fellow-citizens.  An  overpowering  popular  vote  sanctioned  the  undertaking,  approved 
of  the  ways  and  means,  and  ordered  its  commencement.  Although  some  few  believed 
that  caution,  and  even  prudence,  demanded  a  postponement  of  the  effort,  yet  once  resolved 
upon,  all  cheerfully  yielded  their  acquiescence  and  co-operation.  Amid  -the  unparalleled 
difficulties  and  discouragements  which  have  marked  the  times,  since  it  was  begun,  no 
hesitation  has  impeded  its  progress ;  but  its  march  has  been  onward,  steadily,  persevering- 
ly,  successfully,  to  its  completion. 


CROTON    AdUEDUCT.  399 

Sensible  of  the  honor  conferred  by  the  constituted  authorities  of  the  city,  in  commit- 
ting to  us  the  trust  confided  to  our  hands,  it  will  be  the  effort  of  myself  and  colleagues  to 
employ  every  power  given  to  us,  for  the  protection  and  advancement  of  the  great  work 
now  in  our  charge.  Long  may  that  work  endure  to  illustrate  the  wisdom  of  its  founders 
— a  monument  of  the  enterprise  and  perseverance  of  our  people — and  the  source  of  health, 
safety,  and  happiness  for  successive  ages 

The  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  Sacred  Music  Society  then  took  their  stations  on 
the  platform,  and  sang  the  following  ode,  printed  copies  of  which  had  been  liberally 
distributed  at  the  expense  of  the  Corporation  during  the  day : 

THE    CROTON    ODE. 

Written  at  the  request  of  the  Corporation  of  the  City  of  New  York,  by  GEORGE  P. 

MORRIS,  and  sung  in  front  of  the  Park  Fountain,  by  the  Members  of  the 

New  York  Sacred  Music  Society,  on  the  completion  of  the 

Croton  Aqueduct. 

CELEBRATED    OCTOBER    XIV,    MDCCCXLII. 

Gushing  from  this  living  fountain, 

Music  pours  a  falling  strain, 
As  the  Goddess  of  the  Mountain 

Comes  with  all  her  sparkling  train. 
From  her  grotto-springs  advancing, 

Glittering  in  her  feathery  spray, 
Woodland  fays  beside  her  dancing, 

She  pursues  her  winding  way. 

Gently  o'er  the  ripling  water, 

In  her  coral-shallop  bright, 
Glides  the  rock-king's  dove-eyed  daughter, 

Deck'd  in  robes  of  virgin  white. 
Nymphs  and  Naiads,  sweetly  smiling, 

Urge  her  back  with  pearly  hand, 
Merrily  the  sylph  beguiling 

From  the  nooks  of  fairy  land. 

Swimming  on  the  snow-curled  billow, 

See  the  river  spirits  fair, 
Lay  their  cheeks,  as  on  a  pillow, 

With  the  foam  beads  in  their  hair. 
Thus  attended,  hither  wending, 

Floats  the  lovely  Oread  now, 
Eden's  arch  of  promise  bending 

Over  her  translucent  brow. 


300  CELEBRATION    OP    THE 

Hail  the  wanderer  from  a  far-land! 

Bind  her  flowing  tresses  up! 
Crown  her  with  a  fadeless  garland, 

And  with  crystal  brim  the  cup. 
From  her  haunts  of  deep  seclusion, 

Let  Intemp'rance  greet  her  too, 
And  the  heat  of  his  delusion 

Sprinkle  with  this  mountain-dew. 

Water  leaps  as  if  delighted, 

While  her  conquered  foes  retire! 
Pale  Contagion  flies  affrighted 

With  the  baffled  demon,  Fire! 
Safety  dwells  in  her  dominions, 

Health  and  Beauty  with  her  move, 
And  entwine  their  circling  pinions 

In  a  sisterhood  of  love. 

Water  shouts  a  glad  hosanna! 

Bubbles  up  the  Earth  to  bless! 
Cheers  it  like  the  precious  manna, 

In  the  barren  Wilderness, 
Here  we  wondering  gaze,  assembled 

Like  the  grateful  Hebrew  band, 
When  the  hidden  fountain  trembled, 

And  obeyed  the  Prophet's  wand. 

Round  the  Aqueducts  of  story, 

As  the  mists  of  Lethe  throng, 
Croton's  waves,  in  all  their  glory, 

Troop  in  melody  along. 
Ever  sparkling,  bright  and  single, 

Will  this  rock-ribbed  stream  appear, 
When  Posterity  shall  mingle 

Like  the  gathered  Waters  here. 

Gilbert  Hopkins,  Esq.,  the  Grand  Marshal  of  the  day,  now  announced  that  the 
ceremonies  were  at  an  end,  and  he  proposed  that  the  assemblage  join  him  in  nine  hearty 
cheers  for  the  City  of  New  York  and  perpetuity  to  the  Croton  water. 

The  cheers  were  given  with  a  heartiness  that  made  the  welkin  ring  again. 

Not  a  single  accident  happened  in  the  Park  or  its  immediate  vicinity,  and  great  praise 
is  due  to  the  parties  appointed  to  keep  the  ground,  for  the  good  dispositions  they  made. 

COLLATION  IN  CITY  HALL. 

After  the  ceremonies  of  the  day  were  closed,  three  large  tables  were  spread  in  the  City 
Hall,  where  the  Mayor,  the  Governor,  the  members  of  the  Corporation,  officers  and  several 


CROTON    AaUEDUCT.  301 

hundred  citizens  partook  of  a  cold  collation,  and  Croton  water  and  lemonade,  but  no  wine 
or  spirituous  liquors.  All  was  conducted  with  order  and  propriety,  but  with  no  ceremony  ; 
no  chairs  were  provided,  but  a  sufficient  number  of  knives  and  forks  for  each  to  help  him- 
self. It  was  a  well  arranged  republican  repast — one  of  which  the  many  could  partake. 

Mayor  Morris  offered  a  toast,  which  he  prefaced  with  some  apppropriate  remarks — re- 
turning in  behalf  of  the  citizens  their  thanks  to  the  Executive  of  the  State,  and  to  the  vast 
number  of  persons  from  various  places  who  had  come  among  us  to  celebrate  a  joyous 
event,  which  was  made  more  joyous  by  their  countenance  and  participation.  He  closed 
by  offering  a  toast,  which  was  drunk  by  all,  accompanied  by  cheers — it  was  as  follows  : 

"  THE  EXECUTIVE  OF  THE  STATE  OP  NEW  YORK." 

When  the  applause  consequent  upon  this  toast  had  subsided,  the  Governor  addressed 
the  company  as  follows : 

Mr.  Mayor  and  Fellow-Citizens : — 

Accept  my  thanks  for  this  flattering,  this  generous  welcome.  To  be  thus  remembered 
at  a  moment  like  this,  amidst  the  heartfelt  rejoicings  not  only  of  the  thousands  who  dwell 
in  this  proud  city,  but  of  the  multitudes  who  have  poured  in  from  the  surrounding  com- 
munities, demands  and  receives  my  warmest  gratitude. 

You  have  well  observed,  sir,  that  these  multitudes  have  joined  in  this  glorious  pa- 
geant, not  as  curious  spectators,  but  rather  as  joint  owners  of  the  great  work  whose  com- 
pletion we  this  day  celebrate.  It  is  indeed  the  triumph  not  only  of  the  city  but  of  the 
country  at  large.  Its  results  reach  far  beyond  the  narrow  confines  of  the  metropolis.  An 
achievement  like  this,  which  casts  a  mantle  of  protection  over  the  commercial  store-house 
of  the  continent,  may  indeed  be  a  subject  of  felicitation  for  the  whole  American  people. 

We  have  this  day  enjoyed  the  spectacle  alike,  rare  and  sublime,  of  a  vast  community 
uniting  in  one  common  emotion,  called  forth  by  the  performance  of  a  great  act  in  the 
mighty  drama  of  a  nation's  history.  If  the  immortal  bard  spoke  truly  of  individual  man 
when  he  said, 

"All  the  world's  a  stage, 
And  all  the  men  and  women  merely  players ; 
They  have  their  exits  and  their  entrances, 
And  each  man  in  his  turn  plays  many  parts." 

how  much  more  august  the  spectacle  to  him  who  meditates  on  social  man  playing  his  va- 
rious parts  upon  "  the  broad  and  universal  theatre  of  nations,"  and  amid  the  shifting 
76 


302  CELEBRATION    OF    THE 

scenes  of  human  society.  And  such  a  spectacle  is  this  day  presented.  We  celebrate  a 
work,  commenced  and  completed  indeed  within  our  day  and  generation,  but  extending  its 
results  far  into  the  lengthening  vista  of  succeeding  ages.  I  will  not  attempt,  sir,  to  em- 
body the  emotions  excited  by  the  event,  nor  even  to  depict  the  feelings  of  pleasure  awa- 
kened by  the  physical  change  which  has  stolen  over  the  city  of  our  pride  and  affection. 
A  new  feature  has  been  stamped  upon  the  face  of  our  metropolis.  But  yesterday  it  was 
the  dusty  trading  mart,  unattractive  and  unadorned — to-day  the  pure  mountain  stream 
gushes  through  its  streets  and  sparkles  in  its  squares.  To  the  noble  rivers  with  which  it 
was  encircled  by  Nature,  is  now  added  the  limpid  stream  brought  hither  by  Art,  until  in 
the  words  of  the  Roman  poet,  alike  descriptive  and  prophetic,  her  citizens  exult, 

"  inter  fluminanota 
Et  fontes  sacros." 

But  it  is  not  for  the  purpose  of  dwelling  on  the  grandeur  of  this  noble  work,-or 
even  its  manifold  and  beneficial  influences  upon  the  health  and  happiness  of  a  vast 
population,  that  I  have  risen,  but  rather  to  draw  from  the  occasion  whatever  of  instruction 
it  suggests. 

I  would  then  venture  to  remark  that  this  stupendous  aqueduct,  and  these  splendid 
fountains,  so  worthy  of  being  enjoyed,  are  equally  worthy  of  being  paid  for.  They  owe 
their  very  existence  to  that  mighty  engine  of  modern  civilization — public  credit.  With 
borrowed  money  they  have  been  built.  Is  there  one  among  us  "  with  soul  so  dead,"  as  to 
doubt  that  this  debt  will  be  paid  to  the  utmost  farthing  ?  Is  there  one  among  this  assem- 
bled multitude  who  would  enjoy  the  benefit,  yet  basely  shrink  from  the  burthen  ?  The 
glorious  work  yet  remains,  manfully  to  meet,  and  punctually  to  pay,  the  debt  which  has 
been  so  wisely,  so  beneficently  incurred.  Who  will  venture  to  predict  that  this  sacred 
duty  will  not  be  fully  performed  1  Who  can  believe  that  the  foul  blot  of  repudiation  will 
ever  spread  itself  over  the  pure,  untarnished  credit  of  this  high-spirited  community  ?  Were 
this  possible,  the  massive  walls  and  lofty  arches  of  this  noble  structure,  now  the  city's  pride, 
would  stand  as  monuments  only  of  her  degradation  and  shame.  It  is  not,  sir,  that  I  believe 
it  possible  thatunder  any  circumstances  or  under  any  temptation,  our  city  or  ourstate  could 
fail  for  a  moment  to  maintain  its  unsullied  public  faith,  but  rather  that  it  seems  peculiarly 
proper  on  this  occasion  of  rejoicing,  to  declare  our  firm  belief  that  the  debt  incurred  for 
the  public  works,  not  only  of  this  city  and  this  state,  but  of  all  ttie  American  communities 
will  be,  as  it  ought  to  be,  paid  to  the  utmost  farthing.  It  is  true,  sir,  that  in  some  mis. 
guided  portions  of  our  country,  breaches  of  public  faith  have  occurred,  injurious  to  the 
national  character  and  dangerous  to  public  morals ;  but  I  cannot  doubt  that  each  and 


CROTON    AQUEDUCT.  303 

every  of  the  defaulting  communities  which  shall  steadily  and  manfully  persevere  to  the 
final  completion  of  its  works,  will  find  in  the  resulting  benefits,  ample  means  for  redeem- 
ing the  faith  plighted  to  the  public  creditor.  It  is  in  this  point  of  view  that  the  comple- 
tion of  the  costly  structure  we  this  day  commemorate,  is  replete  with  encouragement  and 
instruction.  Sir,  let  us  for  a  moment  suppose  that  the  Municipal  Legislature  after  incur- 
ring a  heavy  debt,  had,  in  a  moment  of  prejudice,  passion,  or  fear,  before  the  completion  of 
the  aqueduct,  suspended  its  further  construction.  Could  we  imagine  a  spectacle  more 
degrading  than  the  dismembered  work  lying  in  fragments  throughout  its  length  of  forty 
miles,  from  the  Croton  "Lake  to  the  confines  of  the  city  ?  Who  could  then  be  found  "  so 
poor  to  do  it  reverence,"  and  who  so  sternly  virtuous,  as  to  submit  without  complaint,  to 
the  taxation  which  such  folly  would  render  necessary  ?  Let  us  then  adopt  as  a  cardinal 
maxim  in  the  conduct  of  these  great  enterprises,  that  benefits  must  be  made  to  keep  pace 
with  burthens  ;  in  a  word,  that  works  once  commenced,  must  be  steadily  and  perseve- 
ringly  prosecuted,  and  we  afford  the  surest  guarantee  for  the  preservation  of  public  faith. 

The  Croton  aqueduct  is  but  one  of  many  works  of  physical  improvement,  constituting 
portions  of  an  extensive  system,  commenced  in  a  season  of  great  prosperity,  and  all  like 
this  tending  to  develope  the  resources  and  promote  the  honor  and  welfare  of  the  country. 
Why  is  it,  that  while  public  confidence  has  forsaken  all  others,  it  has  crowned  the  con- 
summation of  this  ?  Can  the  cause  be  mistaken  ?  Is  it  not  that  enlightened  forecast,  and 
steady,  unflinching  perseverance  have  carried  this  work  to  its  destined  end?  The  min- 
gled emotions  of  pride  and  joy  which  have  filled  the  bosoms  of  the  vast  multitudes  this 
day  assembled,  afford  but  a  foretaste  of  the  feeling  which  will  be  kindled  when  our  whole 
system  of  public  works  shall  be  brought  into  beneficial  operation.  With  this  bright  exam- 
ple to  encourage  and  lead  us  onward,  shall  we  be  told  that  we  have  not  the  ability  to  pro- 
ceed further  ?  Away,  then,  with  unmanly  despondency  !  Our  State  possesses  resources 
and  revenues,  sure  and  unfailing,  equal  to  the  support  of  her  government  and  the  payment 
of  all  her  existing  debts — and  I  here  proclaim,  that  without  embarrassment,  or  cause  for 
embarrassment,  she  could  with  the  expenditure  of  a  sum  but  little  exceeding  that  which 
the  city  of  New  York  has  expended  on  this  aqueduct,  complete  to  the  utmost  mile,  all  her 
unfinished  canals  and  railroads.  If  the  city,  with  three  hundred  and  twelve  thousand 
inhabitants,  can  expend  on  a  single  undertaking  twelve  millions  of  dollars,  cannot  the 
State  of  New  York,  with  two  and  a  half  millions  of  people,  and  comprehending  within 
its  limits  this  very  city,  sustain  the  further  burthen  of  seventeen  millions,  required  to  finish 
works  now  in  progress  ?  The  proposition  demonstrates  itself.  We  want  only  time,  and 
not  much  of  that.  Let  us  dispel,  then,  the  clouds  which  obscure  our  vision,  look  at  the 
brightening  sky  and  put  forth  every  energy  and  submit  to  every  burthen,  even  to  each 
citizen's  taking  the  spade  in  his  own  hands  to  complete  the  New  York  and  Erie,  and  the 


• 
» 


304  CELEBRATION    OF    THE 

New  York  and  Albany  Rail  Roads,  the  two  unfinished  lateral  Canals,  and  the  enlarge, 
ment  of  the  Erie  Canal. 

One  more  reflection  and  I  shall  have  done.  This  aqueduct,  like  all  our  other  public 
works,  was  undertaken  not  only  for  the  present  but  for  the  future.  Its  capacity  is  graduated 
not  to  supply  the  wants  of  the  present  population  of  the  city,  but  to  meet  the  exigencies  of 
the  million,  who,  within  half  a  century  may  be  congregated  upon  Manhattan  Island.  Shall 
that  million  be  allowed  to  plant  here  their  hopes  and  their  homes  ?  That  result  depends 
on  the  completion  of  the  public  works  of  this  State,  and  those  of  the  communities  with 
which  we  are  connected.  There  are  other  Atlantic  ports  besides  New  York,  other 
Rivers  besides  the  Hudson,  other  Canals  and  Rail  Roads  besides  our  own,  other  govern- 
ments besides  the  City  Councils  I  address,  and  the  Legislature  of  our  State  ;  and  although 
the  trade  of  the  continent  now  flows  in  our  channels,  it  has  not  worn  them  so  deeply  that 
it  may  not  yet  be  diverted. 

Believe  me,  fellow-citizens,  that  I  speak  for  no  temporary  effect  and  with  no  personal 
motive.  I  have  reason  to  love  the  State  of  New  York,  not  merely  like  all  her  sons,  but 
I  owe  her  a  debt  that  few  are  ever  permitted  to  incur.  If,  short  of  Heaven,  I  have  an  ob- 
ject paramount  to  her  welfare  and  honor,  I  know  it  not ;  and  if  I  have  a  thought,  feeling> 
or  emotion  inconsistent  with  her  best  and  highest  interests,  may  this  right  arm  drop  off 
and  may  this  tongue  forget  its  cunning. 

With  pride  which  none  but  a  Citizen  of  the  State  of  New  York  can  know,  I  offer  to 
this  vast  asssembly  this  sentiment : — 

THE  CITY  OP  NEW  YORK — One  American  Community,  which  through  a  trying 
crisis  and  amidst  discouraging  embarrassments,  has  prosecuted  the  system  of  physical 
improvement,  at  the  same  time  maintaining  its  credit  and  completing  its  works. 

The  company  soon  after  separated  ;  and  in  conclusion,  the  evening  throughout  the 
city,  says  the  New  World,  was  as  quiet  and  orderly  as  though  it  had  followed  but  an 
ordinary  day. 

All  the  places  of  public  amusement  were  thronged  in  the  evening.  A  large  and  re- 
spectable congregation  were  present  at  the  Tabernacle,  to  listen  to  the  singing  of  the 
Sacred  Music  Society,  and  the  address  of  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  H.  Cox,  on  music. 

The  fair  at  Niblo's  was  crowded  to  suffocation.  Many  t  were  doubtless  attracted 
thither  by  the  splendid  display  of  fire-works  which  took  place  in  the  garden  at  half-past 
eight.  Castle  Garden  was  also  visited  by  a  large  number  of  spectators  to  see  the  Balloon 
ascension  and  the  fire-works  exhibited  there  also.  The  Museums,  the  Astor  House,  and 
Howard's  Hotel  were  brilliantly  illuminated  in  the  evening. 


CROTONAQ.UEDUCT.  305 

The  most  beautiful  spectacle  of  the  evening  was  the  illumination  of  the  Astor 
House,  by  Messrs,  Coleman  &  Stetson.  They  had  so  arranged  their  preparations,  that 
all  the  lamps  were  hung  at  the  seven  hundred  window  lights,  with  a  servant  at  each 
window  ready  at  the  sound  of  the  gong  to  apply  the  tapers.  The  whole  were  thus  illu- 
minated in  a  twinkling.  We  were  standing  in  front  at  the  moment,  and  the  effect  was 
beautiful. 

Throughout  the  day  and  evening  the  magnificent  fountains  in  the  Park  and  Union 
Square  were  kept  in  full  play,  and  formed  the  most  novel,  as  well  as  the  most  pleasing 
feature  of  the  day. 

There  was  much,  says  the  Commercial  Advertiser,  very  much — indeed  we  may  say 
every  thing — in  this  celebration,  to  excite  strongly  the  most  grateful  feelings  and  reflec- 
tions. The  favorable  condition  of  the  weather,  the  immense  magnitude  and  vast  utility 
of  the  achievement  whose  completion  it  was  designed  to  honor,  the  perfect  success  that 
has  attended  the  great  work,  in  the  quality  of  the  water  and  its  overflowing  abundance,  the 
facility  with  which  it  is  distributed,  and  the  happy  effects  it  is  already  visibly  producing — 
the  universal  satisfaction  with  which  the  celebration  and  its  objects  were  regarded — the 
beauty  of  the  fountains,  and  the  proud  consciousness  which  every  citizen  of  New  York 
felt  that  his  or  her  own  cherished  and  honored  city  had,  in  this  mighty  undertaking, 
accomplished  a 'work  with  no  superior,  either  for  extent  or  for  excellence  of  object — all 
these  were  elements  of  gratification  such  as  it  is  not  often  the  pleasant  lot  of  a  municipal 
peopte  to  enjoy  ;  and  they  were  enjoyed,  temperately,  yet  with  an  exquisite  satisfaction. 

And  apart  from  these,  there  was  the  sense  of  grandeur  always  called  into  being  by  the 
sight  of  the  presence  of  a  great  multitude,  animated  by  one  impulse,  and  moving  or  acting  in 
the  attainment  of  a  common  object.  Nor  was  the  proud  reflection  absent,  that  under  the 
benign  influence  of  political  institutions  which  give  and  secure  to  every  man  his  equal 
share  in  the  general  rights,  powers  and  duties  of  citizenship — amid  this  great  convulsion, 
as  it  may  be  called — this  mighty  upheaving  and  commingling  of  society — where  half  a 
million  of  people  were  brought  together  into  one  mass  as  it  were,  there  was  not  a  guard, 
a  patrol,  a  sentry,  not  even  a  solitary  policeman,  stationed  any  where  to  hold  in  check  the 
ebullition  of  social  or  political  excitement — that  there  was  need  of  none — and  that  the 
peace,  order,  and  quiet  of  the  city  were  as  completely  undisturbed  as  they  could  have 
been  in  London,  Paris,  Vienna,  St.  Petersburg,  or  any  other  great  city  of  monarchical  Eu- 
rope, by  legions  of  bayonets  and  an  army  of  peace-officers. 

As  a  record  of  this  celebration,  and  of  the  great  event  it  commemorated,  the  Com- 
mittee of  the  Common  Council  caused  a  silver  medal  to  be  struck,  of  the  engraving 
on  which,  a  fac  simile  is  presented  on  the  following  page  ;  they  also  voted  that  a  me- 

77 


306 


CELEBRATION    OF    THE 


moir  of  the  -work  should  be  prepared,  which  has  been  accomplished  imperfectly,  indeed, 
but  it  is  hoped  with  tolerable  minuteness  and  accuracy,  in  the  pages  that  are  here 
brought  to  a  close. 


S. PROTON* AQUEDUCT 


INDEX    TO    PRELIMINARY    ESSAY. 


PAGE. 

Albany  Water  Works 81 

Aqua  Paola, . .  .* 16—46 

Augusta, 16 

Felice, 17—46 

Sabbatina, 16 

Aqueduct,  origin  of, 7 

of  Solomon, 7 

Vitruvius'  rules, 8 

Pliny's  directions, 11 

Roman  Aqua  Appia, ." . .  13 

"      Anio  Vetus, 14—25 

"      Aqua  Marcia, 14 

"      Aqua  Tepula, 15 

"      Aqua  Julia, 15 

"      Aqua  Virginis, 15 

"      Aqua  Alsletina, 16 

"      Aqua  Claudia, 16 

"      Anio  Novus, 16 

General  Description  of, 17 

Supply  Furnished  by 19 

How  kept  in  repair, 23 

Alexandrien, 24 

Destroyed  by  the  Goths, 24 

Decree  of  Senate  relating  to 27 

Carthagenian  described, 28 

At  Nismes, 29 

Lyons, 32 

Segovia, 40 

Grenada, 40 

Constantinople, 40 

Lisbon, 69 

American, 70 

Peruvian, 71 — 72 

At  Tezcuco, 72 

Mexican, 73—74—75 

At  Palenque, 75 

Rio  Janeiro, 75 

Artesian  Well  at  Crenelle, 67 

Boston  Waterworks, 81 

Chain-pump  in  early  use, 2 6 

Castella, 20—1—26 

Carthagenian  Aqueduct, '28 

Constantinople . . . " 40 

Canal  de  L'Ourcq, 63 

Chapoltepec  Aqueduct, .__ 73 

Cincinatti  Waterworks, .' 78 

Curatores  Aquarum, 13 

Decree  of  Roman  Senate  in  relation  to  Aqueducts,    27 

Edinburgh  Waterworks, 60 

Fountains  worshipped  in  early  times, 1 

"        at  Rome,  how  supplied, 20 — 47 

Frontinus,  superintendent  of  the  Roman  Aqueducts,  13 

Fountaineers, 24 

Grenada,  Aqueduct  at, 40 

Glasgow  Waterworks, 61 

Greenock  — " 63 

Crenelle,  Artesian  Well, 67 

Herculaneum,  the  ruins  of  discovered  in  digging 

a  well, 3 

Hydrants, 26 

Joseph's  well  at  Cairo, 3 

Jantu  of  the  Hindoos, 5 


London  Bridge,  works  at, 53 

"        Supply  of  water  at, 20,50,53,59 

Lisbon  Aqueduct, 69 

Lyon's  Aqueduct, 32 

Mexico,  Aqueducts  of 73,  74,  75 

"  "        destroyed  by  Spaniards, 73 

Noria, 6 

JVismes  Aqueduct, 29 

Ourcq,  canal  de  1' 64 

Pump,  ordinary  sucking, 6 

Pipes  of  lead, 12 

"          iron, 12 

"         gold 73 

Paris  Waterworks, 63 

"    Artesian  Well  at, 67 

Peruvian  Aqueducts, 71,  72 

"  "  destroyed  by  Spaniards, 73 

Palenque,  ruined  Aqueduct 75 

Philadelphia  Water- works, 76 

Providence,  R.  I.        "         82 

Rivers  worshipped  in  early  times, 1 

Rome,  its  Aqueducts, 13,  14, 15,  16 

"       "  supply  of  water, 20,  45 

Rome,  its  distribution, 20 

"        "  regulations  and  laws, 25 

Rio  Janeiro  Aqueduct, 75 

Richmond,  Va.,  Waterworks 82 

Swape  for  raising  water, 5 

Superintendent  of  Roman  Aqueducts, 23,  25 

Senate,  Roman,  decree  of,  relating  to  Aqueducts,.  .27 

Segovia  Aqueduct, 40 

Tanks  for  water,  in  India, 5 

Tympanum  for  raising  water, 6 

Tezcuco  Aqueduct, 73 

Troy,  N.  Y.  Waterworks, 81 

Vitruvius'  rules  relating  to  Aqueducts, 8,  12 

Well's  worshipped  in  early  times, 1 

at  Nanterre, 1 

St.  Winifred's, 1 

early  in  Asia,  &c., 2 

of  Ninevah, 2 

Joseph's,  at  Cairo, 3 

Ancient  American, 5 

Artesian  at  Grenelle, 67 

Water,  old  mode  of  raising, 5 

various  modes  of  raising, 5 

supply  at  Rome, 19,  20 

"       "  London, 20 

how  measured  at  Rome, 21 

Waterworks  at  London, 53 

Edinburgh, 60 

Glasgow 61 

Greenock, 63 

Paris, 63 

Philadelphia, 76 

Cincinatti, 78 

Boston, 81 

Albany,  N.  Y., 81 

Troy.       "     "   81 

Providence,  R.  I., 82 

Richmond,  Va., 82 


308 


INDEX. 


INDEX    TO    THE    MEMOIR. 


PAGE. 

Analysis  of  Water,  Manhattan, 107 

"  "          Bronx  River  and  Rye  Ponds .  108 

"  "          City  Wells, 108,  109,  110 

Allen,  Stephen, 100,  2,  15,  78 

Allen,  Horatio, 161,  199 

Alley,  Saul, 116,  178 

Aqueduct,  Croton,....106,  24,  37,  39,41,  56,  202,  4,  17 

Artesian  Wells 104,  11 

Baldwin,  Loami, 129 

Birdsall,  Benjamin, 272,  99 

Bridge,  Quaker, 126 

Bridge,  High, ....  150,  6,  64,  5,  8,  9,  75,  81,  3,  191.  24, 

209, 15. 

Broadway,  Reservoir, 85 

Brown,  Jos.  Water  Project,  et  sequa 89 

Brown,  B.  M 116 

Bronx  River,.... 90,  91,  92,  101,  2,  3,  8,  11,  15,  16, 
118,  19. 

Burr,  Aaron, 95, 98 

Cartwright,  G.  W 128,33,40 

Childs,  S.  R 178 

Cisterns,  Public, 105 

Clinton,  De  Witt,.., 113,  14 

Colic's  Christopher,  Water  Project 85,  89 

Collect,  The, 90,  91, 134 

Committee  on  Aqueduct, 177,  84,  85 

Contracts,  Proposals  for 145 

Cortland  Van,  Lots  Sold 85,  87 

Cooper,  Judge,  Water  Project 89 

Corporation  of  New  York, ...  .85,  8,  9,  90,  5,  6,  7,  8, 

9, 100,  1,  3,  4,  5,  6,  12,  13,  15, 19, 20,  2,4,  124,  9, 

31,  3,  4,  6,  7,  9,  42,  3,  4,  7,  9,  61,  2,  79, 183,  5,  6, 

9,95. 

Crane,  Samuel,  Water  Project, 89 

Creek,  Morrisianna, 93, 10 

Croton  Aqueduct,.  .106,  24,  37,  39,  41,  56,  97,  202,  4, 

17 
Croton  River, ....  Ill,  13,  14,  16,  18,  133,  4,  7,  40,  6, 

58,  60,  61,  88,  93,  7,  203,  215. 

Croton  Dam 147,  79,  86, 87,  8,  91 

Croton  Maid, 193,  78, 9,  20, 24,  6,  15,  195 

Curtis,  Zebina,  Water  Project, 89 

Clendening  Valley 175,  82,  8,  92,  204,  211 

Dekay,  Dr 108 

Disbrow,  Levi 104 

Douglas,  Major,.  116,  17,  25,  27,  33, 40,  47,  150,  61,  76 

Dusenbury, 116,118 

Declivity  of  Aqueduct, .214 

Founders,  Iron, 157 

Fox,  Wm.  L 116, 78 

Hamilton,  Alexander, 95,  6,  7 

Harlem  Heights, 104,  11,  28 

Harlem  River,. .  .93, 4,  111,  12,  26,  127, 50.  2,  3,  8,  82. 

3,  93,  5,  8,  2,  14. 

Housatonic  Canal, 101 

Hudson,  Proposal  to  Dam 131 

Hunter  John,  Water  Project 128,  9 

Jems,  J.  B 143,  71,  5,  6,  7,  96,  201, 216,  220 

Johnson,  W.  S 136 


•  PAGE. 

Lawrence's  Water  Project, 88 

Livingston's,  R.  L.,    do     88 

Legislature,  (Acts  of,) 120,  41,  63,  78,  89 

Macomb's,  Robert.  Water  Project, 100,11 

dam, 101 

Manhattan  Company,. .  .85,  98,  99,  104,  5,  7,  9,  11,  20 

"          Water  Analysis, 107 

"          Valley, 154,  5,  175,  202,  3,  4,  10 

Marcius 116 

Martineau,  John, 127,  33,  47,  76 

Morrissania  Creek 93 

Newcomen's  Engine, 86 

New  York  Waterworks, 103 

"        "     Well  Company, 134 

Ogden,  Samuel,  Water  Project, 88 

Passaic  (Project  for), . .   106 

Phelps,  S.  B.,  Water  Project, 106,  7 

Philadelphia — supply  of  water, 102 

Pipes,  Iron — Contract  for, 166 

Poll— for,  or  against  Croton, 137,  8,  9 

Porter,  Amos,  Water  Project, 89 

Proposals  for  Contracts, 145 

Pump,  Tea  Water, '..96 

Rhodes,  D.  S.— Engineer, 125,  6,  7 

Revenue  from  Water  Works, 135 

Reservoirs, 85, 104,  161,  194,  212 

Ring,  Z., 199 

Roosevelt,  R.  J.— Water  Project, 89 

Rumseian  Society  —  Philadelphia, 89 

Rye  Ponds, 94,  100,  6,  8,  11,  15,  18,  19 

Sawmill  River, 1 16,  202,  4 

Sharon  Canal, 101,  2,  3 

Seymour  B.— Water  Project, 130,  1,  2,  3 

Sinking  Fund, 140,  74 

Sing  Sing 117,42,3,5,58,73,82,217,  18 

Slave  Labor, 202,  8 

Spring  Water  Company,     128 

Spirits,  Ardent — prohibition  of, 145 

Stevens,  Samuel, 100,  4,  5,  6,  7,  8,  10,  78,  97 

Stein,  Albert— Engineer, 133,  61 

Syphon  Bridge, 160 

Supply  of  Water, 215 

Taxes— Ward, 139 

Treasury  Notes — City, 86,  8 

Turn  out  for  Wages, ...158 

Tunnel— Harlem  River, 166,  7,  8,  9 

Tunnels, , 204 

Varick,  Richard, 95,6 

Valley— Clendening 175,  82,  8,  92,  204,  211 

Ventilators, 175,  206 

Vote— Popular  on  Croton, 138,  9 

Ward,   I.  D., 178,  99 

Water  Purveyor , 185 

«'      Stock, .' 128,  186 

Weston,  Mr.— Engineer, :  ....90,  1,  2,  4,  112 

Well  Company,  N.  Y., 104 

Wells,  Artesian, 104,  29 

White,  Canvass— Engineer 101,  2,  3,  11,  12 

Wright,  Benjamin— Engineer, ....  102,  3,  6,  12, 15,  16 
Woodruff,  Mr., 178 


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